urban Walmart (Glenwood, Harrison: neighbourhood, tenant, zoning)

[noah]

Just saw Walmart is about to open a "campus Walmart" at Ga tech in Tech Square on 5th street this week, in the old BBQ place. Given all the talk about fighting the big box walmart stores thought some on this board would find this of interest.

Walmart to open mini-store on Georgia Tech campus | www.ajc.com

[BHarrison84]

I crack up when people act like Walmart is going to mess up their area of town , like their area is pristine or something, a national park waiting to happen. It's just a store.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by BHarrison84

I crack up when people act like Walmart is going to mess up their area of town , like their area is pristine or something, a national park waiting to happen. It's just a store.

i think the concern is not the fact that it's a wal-mart, but how it's built— the "big box" mentality. for example the shopping center they're trying to build in glenwood park would take up the entirety of the space they have left for that neighbourhood with an 150,000 square foot single story shopping center, and hundreds of parking spots. if they wanted to build a smaller wal-mart that abutted the street, had office or residential space above it, and a small parking deck towards the back of the property, i'm sure that it would be embraced by most of the people that are currently opposing the plan.

for example, this wal-mart in midtown appears to be a good example of how wal-mart should go about building their stores in urban areas.

[red92s]

The one on GT's campus is a micro store. It won't have a single dedicated parking space, or isle to deop a pallet of cheap goods in. It'll be a convenience store for the most part.

[JPD]

The Glenwood project is not about Wal Mart. It's about Fuqua. Wal Mart is irrelevant. The oposition would be the same if the primary tennant was Toys R Us. The design of the development is the only issue that is being fought by the residents.

[jsvh]

^What JPD said. I am fine with WalMart and this campus store is a great product. This GaTech store is 15,000 sq ft with only street parking. The proposed one at Glenwood is 144,000 sq ft and over 1,000 surface lot parking spaces. The community has said it is not about the tenant. It is about the design.

[red92s]

Originally Posted by jsvh

^What JPD said. I am fine with WalMart and this campus store is a great product. This GaTech store is 15,000 sq ft with only street parking. The proposed one at Glenwood is 144,000 sq ft and over 1,000 surface lot parking spaces. The community has said it is not about the tenant. It is about the design.

The one at GT will be under 3,000 square feet per the article above (and it's existing, vacant, space) . . . but agreed on all the other sentiments.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by red92s

The one at GT will be under 3,000 square feet per the article above (and it's existing, vacant, space) . . . but agreed on all the other sentiments.

Ah good catch. Pulled the "WalMart Express" number.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by JPD

The Glenwood project is not about Wal Mart. It's about Fuqua. Wal Mart is irrelevant. The oposition would be the same if the primary tennant was Toys R Us. The design of the development is the only issue that is being fought by the residents.

That was the same issue at Lindbergh.

Walmart has a much right to build a store as any other retailer, but of course they have to comply with zoning laws like everybody else.

They've built some nice looking urban stores in other cities, so presumably they would do the same here.

[jsvh]

On a related note: Suburban Plaza Walmart Battle Goes to Court | WABE 90.1 FM