Construction at Northcross (Austin, Mart, Anderson: neighborhood, property tax, restaurants)

[cdfblair]

Hello All,
What are they building over at Northcross Mall? I know they once talked about a Walmart.

[centralaustinite]

Dude! Where have you been?!

Yes, it is a Wal-mart! A smaller one that will not be open 24 hours, the neighborhood did have an impact on the process but it will be a Walmart (and the sky will not fall).

[Betina Foreman]

It is a Wal-mart. Apparently what the people want no longer matters. The local residents fought this project for about five years, but the almighty dollar rules apparently. Go shop at the few remaining local businesses before Wal-mart crushes them too.

[mhudson78641]

It is funny when Lowe's was built just around the corner I did not hear any complaining. If Walmart would have been Whole Foods it would not have been an issue.

[hoffdano]

SOME people didn't want Walmart at Northcross. SOME people didn't want the originally planned super-size Walmart.

SOME people in the area were happy to see a Walmart rejuvenate a dead mall turning into an eyesore.

Eventually Walmart adjusted their design and I believe most of the area accepts it as a good thing.

Please tell me what local businesses in the Northcross area are harmed by Walmart. The Northcross area is dominated by furniture stores, some restaurants, and a host of odds and ends retail that might actually benefit from more shoppers in the area.

[AustinSpartan]

Originally Posted by hoffdano

SOME people didn't want Walmart at Northcross. SOME people didn't want the originally planned super-size Walmart.

SOME people in the area were happy to see a Walmart rejuvenate a dead mall turning into an eyesore.

Eventually Walmart adjusted their design and I believe most of the area accepts it as a good thing.

Please tell me what local businesses in the Northcross area are harmed by Walmart. The Northcross area is dominated by furniture stores, some restaurants, and a host of odds and ends retail that might actually benefit from more shoppers in the area.

People shopping at WalMart are not the ones that can afford any of the furniture stores on Anderson.

[hoffdano]

Originally Posted by AustinSpartan

People shopping at WalMart are not the ones that can afford any of the furniture stores on Anderson.

I sometimes shop at Walmart and I most certainly can (and do) shop at Copenhagen, Scandinavia, and Louis Shanks.

[mimimomx3]

Originally Posted by mhudson78660

It is funny when Lowe's was built just around the corner I did not hear any complaining. If Walmart would have been Whole Foods it would not have been an issue.

You are absolutely right. Too bad it's not a WF. Why anyone would want a WM is a mystery to me.

[austin-steve]

Originally Posted by mhudson78660

It is funny when Lowe's was built just around the corner I did not hear any complaining. If Walmart would have been Whole Foods it would not have been an issue.

Yes, exactly. It's commercial "racism" of a sort. Walmart bashing is politically correct, but you don't see the same people going after Costco, Lowes, or other big commercial retailers.

But WM sure has picked up a lot of middle class shoppers over the past two years as people tighten belts and start to value what Walmart offers, which is cheap prices for basic goods.

Sam Walton started Walmart because local small town hardware and drug stores were ripping people off in the 40s after WWII. He grew up during the depression and thought it was important that regular working people be able to afford basic stuff at a fair price.

I don't go into Walmart much but i think it serves a valuable purpose in the retail landscape and the economy as a whole.

Steve

[mimimomx3]

WM puts little towns out of business. They seek and obtain the kind of property tax relief that no other kind of businesses can get.

WM sells lots and lots of junk that no one needs, and it's what's gotten the US into the mess that it's in- mortgaging our future for a lot of cheap imported 'stuff'.