Lakeside Mall? (Denver, Lakewood, Sheridan: school, live in, military)

[urbanism]

Parker: Lakeside to get Wal-Mart

After several years of negotiations, the co-managers of the redevelopment of the leveled Lakeside Center shopping mall are close to inking a deal for Wal-Mart to build a Supercenter on the site.

"We're in the final stages of due diligence with the site with plans to open a store of about 150,000 square feet in 2013," said Wal-Mart spokesman Josh Phair. "It will be a Walmart with a full grocery store. We don't build anything else anymore."

The shopping center, which at one time housed a May Co. and later a Target store, was demolished for retail redevelopment in January 2006.

Chandelle Development in Denver and THF Realty, a St. Louis-based firm led by Michael Staenberg and Pepsi Center owner Stan Kroenke, paid $8.5 million for the property near Interstate 70 and Harlan Street in the town of Lakeside. The seller, Sevo Miller, had owned the center since 1992. The Walmart store alone will bring 225 to 300 jobs to the area.

Tim Flynn, the attorney of record for the town of Lakeside, emphasized the importance of attracting a retail powerhouse such as Wal-Mart to the area.

"It's really important for us because that is our primary source of sales-tax revenue," Flynn said.



Parker: Lakeside to get Wal-Mart - The Denver Post Parker: Lakeside to get Wal-Mart - The Denver Post

_____________________

My Thoughts

According to the Denver Post, the Town of Lakeside is in the final stages of due diligence with plans to open a Super Walmart of about 150,000 square feet in 2013. This deal has been made with virtually no community outreach or consensus. It is absolutely unacceptable for the Town of Lakeside and the surrounding Denver neighborhoods to allow a Super Walmart to be built on a lake front site next to the historic Lakeside Amusement Park. This Super Walmart will perpetuate a suburban sprawl-based form that is not compatible with the urban lakefront location. The area deserves much, much better. What should be planned is a mixed-use development similar to the Old Elitch Gardens with housing, employment and retail uses focused on walkable areas along with community open space along Lake Rhoda. A Super Walmart at this location will:

- Destroy any chance of creating a pedestrian-oriented neighborhood surrounding the Lake
- Be a visual blight on the character of the neighborhood
- Eliminate the opportunity to create open spaces along Lake Rhoda
- Harm local small businesses, particularly those on 44th Avenue and Tennyson Street
- Create tremendous traffic as the site will be 100% auto oriented
- Most likely contribute to pollution of the Lake through surface parking lot drainage
- Be completely incompatible the historic gem of Lakeside Amusement Park. The historic Lakeside train would run past a Walmart parking lot and loading dock
- Be completely incompatible with the surrounding residential neighborhoods

It is imperative that the neighborhood fight this proposal at all costs. We deserve much better for a unique, infill urban waterfront site. The age of suburban sprawl-based development in our central neighborhoods is through. We need to demand the creation of places that respect and integrate with their surroundings while focusing on pedestrian, bicycle, transit and auto connections. We need to create great places and not accept the rubber-stamping of auto-focused retail developments in our neighborhood. The neighborhood fought to keep Walmart out of the Old Elitch Gardens site. We need to do the same to save the area surrounding Lake Rhoda.

Adam Rosa
West Highlands

[chilicheesefries]

Originally Posted by urbanism

The neighborhood fought to keep Walmart out of the Old Elitch Gardens site. We need to do the same to save the area surrounding Lake Rhoda.

Adam Rosa
West Highlands

Unfortunately Lakeside is its own city and for better or worse there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about it. It would be interesting to hear more about the history of Mountain View/Lakeside and how they came into existance. Lakeside especially is known for 2 things - Lakeside Amusement Park and speed traps along Sheridan Blvd. And it's 19 citizens. I know I won't be shopping there (even if I did live closer).

[wankel7]

Maybe one of those walmart neighborhood markets would be a better fit.

[Infamous Past]

Denver needs to get more outdoor boutiques these malls will simply not do.

[spork_or_foon]

Now.... I'd almost rather have a casino than a Wal-mart. I think it's skeevy how Wal-Mart weaseled their way into this neighborhood. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of the fact that another 7-10,000 cars will be pouring into the neighborhood on a daily basis. I hope it doesn't turn into another Colfax & Wadsworth intersection that shopping center is a nightmare.

Shame on Rhoda Kasner and town of Lakeside for being so selfish. They KNEW that the former Elitches'/Berkley neighborhood was up in arms about putting a Walmart in the neighborhood. By Walmart snagging this land they wouldn't have to confer with residents of either Wheat Ridge or Denver. (the residents who will also be affected)

Makes me sad for the changes to come to our neighborhood...

[livecontent]

Originally Posted by spork_or_foon

Now.... I'd almost rather have a casino than a Wal-mart. I think it's skeevy how Wal-Mart weaseled their way into this neighborhood. It makes me sick to my stomach to think of the fact that another 7-10,000 cars will be pouring into the neighborhood on a daily basis. I hope it doesn't turn into another Colfax & Wadsworth intersection that shopping center is a nightmare.

Shame on Rhoda Kasner and town of Lakeside for being so selfish. They KNEW that the former Elitches'/Berkley neighborhood was up in arms about putting a Walmart in the neighborhood. By Walmart snagging this land they wouldn't have to confer with residents of either Wheat Ridge or Denver. (the residents who will also be affected)

Makes me sad for the changes to come to our neighborhood...

I live just north of this area in Arvada and I have shopped at Lakeside, Tennyson Street, Highland Gardens (old Elitch), Highland Square (West 32nd.) and all of North Denver for many decades.

This location is appropriate for a Walmart. It will serve the demographics of the neighborhood well. There will be no more traffic than when Lakeside Mall was fully operational which recently had a Montgomery Wards, a Target and in the past a department store, King Sooopers and a Walgreens. The area is already well served by highway access off West 48th with connection to I-70 which will draw much of the traffic which will come into the area. This is not the same situation as Colfax and Wadsworth but I find that Walmart has been a good improvement to the area.

Not everyone in the area opposed a Walmart at the old Elitch site. It was proposed to be a small neighborhood Walmart which would have done well in the area. What happen the site sat empty for a few years and then we got a Sunflower Market. Sunflower Market is fine for a few items, mainly produce, but most items are overpriced. It will be interesting to see if this market will have the staying power and perhaps we will see an empty building in the future.

All this opposition to any Walmart is so much nonsense. It will not cause the Tennyson Street Shops to suffer as they serve a different set of customers who need and want to pay higher prices at specialty shops and restaurants and talk about it. It is a whole different shopping experience and I admit I shop there, occasionally because I enjoy the experience at some shops; but I have been going up and down this street for many years--it is part of my extended neighborhood. These same people will also be shopping at Walmart but will still patronize these local establishments and I will continue the same. I would have preferred a Walmart in Denver because Denver does not tax groceries.

Walmart will initiate a stimulation of other businesses and housing in and around Lakeside, Mountain View and Wheat Ridge. The area does need some value priced shopping. To suggest a Casino (Again, because it did exist in the past) is ludicrous and not beneficial for a neighborhood. Yes, I probably would have liked to see more of new urban neighborhood with the inclusion of the old deteriorated raceway. However, many of these developments become too pricey for good basic shopping and we then see "fluff" stores of dubious value to the community as a whole. Even though North Denver has changed much in the last few years, this area along West 44th is not yet at the level to support a fancy little enclave of shopping.

Just to note some rumors that King Soopers has had the intention of replacing the outdated and crowded King Soopers at 38th and Sheridan and building a new one at the Lakeside Raceway site at 44th and Sheridan. They were unable to negotiate a deal with Lakeside. I suspect that Lakeside was holding out for a Walmart because of more subtantial tax return. King Soopers would have negotiated a restriction on any grocery competition within a set area.

The real losers in this whole situation in the City of Arvada. The city failed to get a Walmart on 52nd, near Wadsworth. This site in just a another site, just out of the city boundaries nearby. The Walmart at 72nd and Sheridan is in Westminster. So Arvada will never see the tax revenue from any Walmart because it will preclude Walmart from the eastern side of Arvada.

Also, to say that a Walmart is not needed there because of other Walmarts nearby--well, Walmart is entitled to run the business as it sees fit and the other stores are very crowded. Keep in mind that Walmart closed the Walmart at about 3rd and Wadsworth and built a new one at 15th (Colfax) and Wadsworth. The demand was so great, it forced to re-opening of the old Walmart.


Livecontent

[tfox]

Originally Posted by livecontent

Also, to say that a Walmart is not needed there because of other Walmarts nearby--well, Walmart is entitled to run the business as it sees fit and the other stores are very crowded. Keep in mind that Walmart closed the Walmart at about 3rd and Wadsworth and built a new one at 15th (Colfax) and Wadsworth. The demand was so great, it forced to re-opening of the old Walmart.

Actually it was because the city of Lakewood twisted Wal-mart's arm that caused them to re-open it. They gave Wal-Mart incentives to open the one on Colfax and Wadsworth, apparently not realizing that Wal-Mart might simply open one on Colfax and then close one just a mile south. Oops. Lakewood told Wal-Mart that they could either re-open the 3rd and Wadsworth, sell it at market value, or the city would simply use eminent domain and take the land from Wal-Mart and sell it themselves. Rather than seeing that large space go to a competitor, like Target for instance, Wal-Mart opted to re-open the store, this time as Super Wal-Mart. Hardball tactics paid off for Lakewood.

I agree with you, though, Livecontent, that much of the anger toward Wal-Mart per se is simply irrational, classist kind of nonsense. Would the anti-Walmart crowd be upset if, say, Ikea came to the site with their even larger store footprint? No, they'd be thrilled, of course.

I do feel, however, that the site plan for the Lakeside site is a disappointment given the nature of the site. There's so much that could be done with the presence of Lake Rhoda in there, it seems a shame that the lake would only be seen by big trucks loading pallets on Wal-Mart's back loading docks. I'd like to see a development plan that acknowledges the lake and attempts to incorporate that into the site plan. And if Wal-Mart could fit a store (perhaps one of their small footprint neighborhood markets) in a site plan like that, then more power to them.

[cowboyxjon]

Originally Posted by tfox

I agree with you, though, Livecontent, that much of the anger toward Wal-Mart per se is simply irrational, classist kind of nonsense. Would the anti-Walmart crowd be upset if, say, Ikea came to the site with their even larger store footprint? No, they'd be thrilled, of course.

I do feel, however, that the site plan for the Lakeside site is a disappointment given the nature of the site. There's so much that could be done with the presence of Lake Rhoda in there, it seems a shame that the lake would only be seen by big trucks loading pallets on Wal-Mart's back loading docks. I'd like to see a development plan that acknowledges the lake and attempts to incorporate that into the site plan. And if Wal-Mart could fit a store (perhaps one of their small footprint neighborhood markets) in a site plan like that, then more power to them.

+1 --- agree with this. I don't think that a Wal-Mart at Lakeside is the end of the world, although I feel like the immediate area had the potential to have something even better, especially with the amusement park and the lake nearby. It would have been neat to see some sort of mixture of housing along with businesses and maybe even one of those smaller-format Wal-Mart stores, but I'm no expert on the situation.

I do enjoy those who vehemently hate Wal-Mart, yet happily shop at Target or similar stores.

[livecontent]

Yes, I do agree it is a shame that there is not better planning with a mixed used development putting Lake Rhoda to better use. In addition, Rocky Mountain Lake just being down the road would make it a good development. When I worked downtown, I would take the 44 limited bus; sometimes parking at Lakeside. Yes, it would make a good community for people with good jobs downtown who would want to live in the suburbs. Perhaps the site plan will be better than we think. There is much land there which would include other stores and perhaps housing.

West 44th is really a nice road because it borders the parks on the Wheat Ridge Greenbelt which runs along Clear Creek. Anderson and Prospect Park are some of best parks in the area. The greenbelt is very dense with trees and undergrowth and the bike trail is outstanding. There are many independent businesses along 44th that give the area a unique flavor. Years ago, it had many open air produce markets with some still remaining.

Perhaps Wheat Ridge will get into the act and somehow merge with Mountain View and Lakeside.

Livecontent

[Scott5280]

Target the PC Walmart?