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Kroger At 1440 Studemont St.

houstonray

By houstonray
in The Heights

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Rony

Rony

Posted
Posted

Of course Kroger and the City want you to think that this is some great benefit for the City and has nothing to do with what Kroger should be responsible for doing. Kroger needs road work on Studemont to provide left turn lanes for their development. Those improvements exclusively benefit Kroger and are only needed for Kroger. The Summer St. cut through provides Kroger with traffic mitigation that will keep it from degrading other intersections and triggering much more costly traffic mitigation measures (including reducing store sq ft). It will allow them to signalize the intersection at Studemont. Aside from some sort of conversion of Addickes' stuido, there is absolutely no potention for development on Summer St. between Kroger and Target. ....

WOO.. I live on Summer St. two blocks from Taylor/Sawyer St. :wacko:

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Heights Homeowner

Heights Homeowner

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You are making the false assumption that without the 380 agreements both developments wouldn't happen or, if they did happen, would provide no infrastructure improvements. Both are going to happen. The land was purchased long before the 380 agreement came about. The infrastructure improvements are mostly needed just for the development as noted above.

And you are also wrongly assuming that these properties are some sort of high risk gentrification project in some sketchy, newly emerging inner city neighborhood. They are not. Kroger, HEB and Walmart have been fighting it out to get into the Heights because Target has been making piles at their location and the Shep Kroger has been printing money. These projects are slam dunk profit makers. Forget Bellaire, Rice Village, West U, the Heights is the place to be now. We don't need to spend millions to get developers to do what they are already committed to doing. It is nothing more than a wealth transfer.

First...are there any development or improvements that you would be pleased to see in the Heights? Every single time there is something new coming to the area you complain and it is doom and gloom. The sky is not falling Chicken Little.

Second, if you knew anything about the development world (which you don't as you have long established) you would know that grocers have been trying to find land to build in the Heights for at least 10 YEARS!! Maybe more. My source, who has 40 plus years in urban planning in Houston, and I have discussed the lack of retail in the Heights, particularly when it comes to grocery stores. Kroger, HEB, Whole Foods, Albertson and others have known about the lack of adequate supply for the demand. And their plans to come to the Heights were in the works long before Target was even in the works (and my source worked on the the Target project). In fact, there have been MANY potential plans for grocers to move into the Heights since I moved here 12 years ago. It has been a matter of finding the right space. So when you say they are coming here because of Target, you are wildly speculating. You actually have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

The one thing you are correct about is that they are coming here because they can make money here but so f'ing what. That is what businesses do. They open to make money. The truth is that we have needed more grocery stores for at least as long as I've been here. When I moved here there was a crappy HEB on 11th, the old Fiesta (which is closing at the end of the year by the way), the Fiesta on Shepherd and the Kroger on 20th. Since then, we did get a Kroger that was absolutely dreadful until the recent remodel. But we also lost the small HEB, which despite is poor condition, was convenient to run in to grab a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk. We need more grocery stores and that end of the Heights area was the perfect spot. If the city gives a developer a 380 to help improve the surrounding area and improve traffic flow, great. It is a way that the city can get street and traffic improvements without having to do it or to pay for it up front but rather with tax money they wouldn't have had without the development in the first place.

As far as traffic, I just got back from my home town, Chicago. We don't have traffic in Houston. Except on rare occassions in a very few spots, we don't have traffic backed up from stop light to stop light all day long, 7 days a week. It is absurd how much you complain about traffic because you have no idea what heavy traffic really is. And while I hate Walmart and never shop there and never will, they won't make that much difference either. All that b'tching about the "Tower of Traffic" Ashby Highrise was much ado about nothing. They did a traffic study and the change was insignificant as is true to 99% of those studies. That will be true for Walmart as well. A small, insignificant increase in traffic. So what!

If you are so miserable living in an inner city, move out to the burbs, or a small town. If you live in the city, you are going to have development. You are going to have cars on the street. I suggest that you change your life style and your locale so that you can live the kind of life you appear to need because you can't handle the "stress" of what city life is. You need a slower pace where nothing changes very fast, or at all. Small town America is designed for people like you and you would be doing yourself a big favor if you changed your life and embraced a place that has your similar mentality.

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s3mh

s3mh

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Posted

First...are there any development or improvements that you would be pleased to see in the Heights? Every single time there is something new coming to the area you complain and it is doom and gloom. The sky is not falling Chicken Little.

Second, if you knew anything about the development world (which you don't as you have long established) you would know that grocers have been trying to find land to build in the Heights for at least 10 YEARS!! Maybe more. My source, who has 40 plus years in urban planning in Houston, and I have discussed the lack of retail in the Heights, particularly when it comes to grocery stores. Kroger, HEB, Whole Foods, Albertson and others have known about the lack of adequate supply for the demand. And their plans to come to the Heights were in the works long before Target was even in the works (and my source worked on the the Target project). In fact, there have been MANY potential plans for grocers to move into the Heights since I moved here 12 years ago. It has been a matter of finding the right space. So when you say they are coming here because of Target, you are wildly speculating. You actually have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

The one thing you are correct about is that they are coming here because they can make money here but so f'ing what. That is what businesses do. They open to make money. The truth is that we have needed more grocery stores for at least as long as I've been here. When I moved here there was a crappy HEB on 11th, the old Fiesta (which is closing at the end of the year by the way), the Fiesta on Shepherd and the Kroger on 20th. Since then, we did get a Kroger that was absolutely dreadful until the recent remodel. But we also lost the small HEB, which despite is poor condition, was convenient to run in to grab a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk. We need more grocery stores and that end of the Heights area was the perfect spot. If the city gives a developer a 380 to help improve the surrounding area and improve traffic flow, great. It is a way that the city can get street and traffic improvements without having to do it or to pay for it up front but rather with tax money they wouldn't have had without the development in the first place.

As far as traffic, I just got back from my home town, Chicago. We don't have traffic in Houston. Except on rare occassions in a very few spots, we don't have traffic backed up from stop light to stop light all day long, 7 days a week. It is absurd how much you complain about traffic because you have no idea what heavy traffic really is. And while I hate Walmart and never shop there and never will, they won't make that much difference either. All that b'tching about the "Tower of Traffic" Ashby Highrise was much ado about nothing. They did a traffic study and the change was insignificant as is true to 99% of those studies. That will be true for Walmart as well. A small, insignificant increase in traffic. So what!

If you are so miserable living in an inner city, move out to the burbs, or a small town. If you live in the city, you are going to have development. You are going to have cars on the street. I suggest that you change your life style and your locale so that you can live the kind of life you appear to need because you can't handle the "stress" of what city life is. You need a slower pace where nothing changes very fast, or at all. Small town America is designed for people like you and you would be doing yourself a big favor if you changed your life and embraced a place that has your similar mentality.

All I was saying was that 380 agreements should actually be used as incentives to get development moving where it is not instead of being a way to help the rich get richer. That was why the legislature created section 380 of the local government code. To give municipalities the power to create incentives to promote economic development. Not to give municipalities a new way to finance public improvements. Municipalities have loads of ways to finance public improvements needed for developments. And when those financing options come up short, developers have always been able to pay their own way and do just fine (as HEB did on Dunlavy). If the developer can pay their own way, there is no reason to volunteer scarce taxpayer dollars to pad a developer's profit. Development is moving just fine in the Heights, Montrose, Upper Kirby, etc. The City should not be giving these parts of town preferred taxpayer status. Put 380 agreements to work on the eastside, near northside, or other parts of town that could use the stimulus or have not seen any decent development in years.

And I am not speculating about Target. Walmart is here because of Target. Walmart paid a huge premium on the land compared to what they normally pay for land. It will take Walmart a decade to break even on the land acquisition expense. Walmart wanted that land because Target is one of the highest grossing stores in the nation. It has long been Walmart's business practice to use its economic muscle to deplete its competitor's market share. In fact, that is how Walmart got to be Walmart.

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RedScare

RedScare

Posted
Posted

I look forward to the new Kroger. And, even though I rarely shop there, I look forward to the new Walmart. If the new Kroger and new Walmart offend s3mh, so much the better.

EDIT: I also like 380s in and near my neighborhood. Let the Northside and 5th Ward fight for their own infrastructure upgrades. I like mine, and I am fine with asking developers to do them for us. I find the arguments against them to be faux outrage, especially considering that the opponents have no problem with the government sticking its nose in everything else. It is easy to see that the 380 outrage is a thinly veiled slap at Walmart, who didn't even partake of the 380.

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J008

J008

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Posted

The property is still for sale and has been for some time. Fiesta's current lease expires January 2013.

http://www.loopnet.c...od-Houston-TX/?

http://blogs.houston...14th_street.php

I personally hope they don't close or I won't have any full-service grocers within walking distance.

I wouldn't be so quick to think they are leaving. The old immanuel lutheran on 12th 1/2 had been for sale for 5 years, and was finally bought by a law firm. The new building at 1111 Studemont appears on HCAD to have been bought for ~$400k.

I really don't think there is that much demand for redeveloping these large commercial tracks (or at least in the $3M+ range). Of course this would change if the city decides to sponser another kroger\WM\etc.

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mkultra25

mkultra25

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Posted

I'd rather have seen an HEB on that site than another Kroger. I prefer HEB to Kroger and there are already enough Krogers in the surrounding area, but if I want to go to HEB I've got to drive out to the one on I-10 or the new one on Dunlavy, neither of which is very convenient. That said, I'm sure we'll make at least occasional trips to the new Kroger.

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kylejack

kylejack

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Posted

The Chron says that the Kroger PR woman says. Sorry Kroger PR, but you're not allowed to choose the community's name for your Kroger. We get to decide that.

West Gray is Hot Mom Kroger, Montrose is Disco Kroger, Cullen is Combat Kroger, and that's just the way it is.

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RedScare

RedScare

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Posted

The Chron says that the Kroger PR woman says. Sorry Kroger PR, but you're not allowed to choose the community's name for your Kroger. We get to decide that.

West Gray is Hot Mom Kroger, Montrose is Disco Kroger, Cullen is Combat Kroger, and that's just the way it is.

It's OK to say MILF.

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Triton

Triton

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all right, annnnnyway, I actually went to the Kroger and the Walmart today. Gotta say, Kroger was far more impressive. So many free samples and I found a lot of items surprisingly cheaper than Walmart. We'll have to see how long these deals actually last. But I'll definitely go to the Kroger again in the mean time since I actually have a Kroger card.

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