Proposed Walmart @ 9th and Colorado - Denver (Center, Dinosaur: to rent, condo)

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by wong21fr

There's a flagship REI store 4 miles away from this location. REI certainly isn't going to dilute sales off of that money-maker.

Maybe a Kohl's would do well? Though I'm betting it doesn't have the sales/sq ft to make TIF work to pay for the demolition and infrastructure.

REI is 7 miles away and downtown so it can take 20 min to get there.

[cowboyxjon]

I'd like to see a Jack in the Box at that location.

[wong21fr]

Originally Posted by Mach50

REI is 7 miles away and downtown so it can take 20 min to get there.

Well within acceptable travel limits for a specialty store. An REI is not going to go at that location. It's got to be something else.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by cowboyxjon

i'd like to see a jack in the box at that location.

Fry's let's do this.

[Mach50]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

I'm just anti-elitist and while I used to fall for it, I see through it now. Mostly I'm concerned on a much bigger basis, beyond Walmart hating, the marginalization and discrimination toward the working class and average joe and anything they like. The classism. The segregation. The division. It's disgusting.

Regarding Walmart, the same thing was/is happening here in Kansas City with a urban Walmart-anchored development in the inner suburb of Mission, KS, which is a highly-educated and wealthy area. But to Walmart opposers benefit, that project has run into other hurdles.

The Gateway, Mission, KS | Cameron Group LLC

My mom is from Mexico we grew up on a farm selling vegetables on the weekend. Now, we ended up owning that farmer's market but I know poor people, I have lived with poor people. I probably know it much better than you.

Not all that are against this Walmart are elitist ...yes agreed, there are some. Anyways I don't appreciate your assumption that everyone against this is a wealthy snob.

[robertgoodman]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

Like I said before, I was completely unfamiliar with Athmar Park and its Walmart debacle. I just don't like how this anti-Walmart stuff plays out. It's usually nonsense. Anyway, with a quick Google search I was quickly able to see that, unlike in many similar debacles, in Athmar Park there was actually a rally of support to counter the anti-Walmart voice. Apparently many residents did want Walmart. It also sounds like a lot of the opposition was from folks who lived outside the neighborhood. You're probably out of touch, so you must try to see things from their perspective, from the perspective of a suburban-retail deprived, lower-income area. What your ilk might see as an evil, low-brow retailer, many in areas deprived of an array of retail options see as another, often superior, option. Often times in such areas Walmart will provide a superior grocery store option as well as bring to the immediate area products that weren't sold there prior. Walmart doesn't exactly replace existing businesses. For example, you know damn well Walmart is not a restaurant, nor an Asian grocery store, nor is it a specialty retailer, which many small businesses are. Further, these businesses already co-existed with Kmart, according to you. I'm sure the area had grown considerably during the time Kmart was there. So who is to say providing residents another retail option in Walmart spells doom? The retail center in Athmar Park you're referring to, Alameda Square, got a Lowe's as an anchor instead of a Walmart. Lowe's closed less than two years after it opened, due to strategic store closings. I do believe Lowe's, serving as the anchor, played a huge role in the center's ability to pay for the $7.3 million in subsidies for the redevelopment of the center. So how's that's working out now that Lowe's closed? You do realize with Walmart that wouldn't have happened, right? They'd still be open. But now this shopping center has a 100,000 sq ft+ vacant building. As for the physical displacement of existing retail, it looks to me like there were plans in place to provide new space for them, even upgrading them from leases to owning their own buildings, and even had the support of the Asian Chamber. So this is all just BS.

What Walmart isn't a restaurant or an asian grocery store or isn't evil ? I am shocked that I would even say such things. Oh wait I didn't.

Really Lowe's failed? A giant hardware store near two others... how did they not see that coming? So I must be an idiot because me saying that those in Ahtmar Park are not elitists for opposing walmart implies I am in favor of them building the Lowe's. You got me there... oh wait no that's a GIANT logical leap.

I am sorry those of my ilk like to debate things we actually say. Otherwise we just stay above the fray sipping latte's in our ivory towers. If I see something that actually contradicts what I said I will let you know.

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by Mach50

My mom is from Mexico we grew up on a farm selling vegetables on the weekend. Now, we ended up owning that farmer's market but I know poor people, I have lived with poor people. I probably know it much better than you.

Not all that are against this Walmart are elitist ...yes agreed, there are some. Anyways I don't appreciate your assumption that everyone against this is a wealthy snob.

I grew up working class. My grandma grew up in an Indian orphanage in Oklahoma, and she is the matriarch of the little bit of family I've ever had. So what.

I'm not necessarily accusing the Walmart haters of being wealthy. Many of the haters are just followers. It's a personality and mindset as much as it is about wealth. Besides, Walmart has a ton of high net worth, truly wealthy individials who shop their stores, especially in rural areas and smaller communities. I just believe the Walmart hating is driven by elitism more than anything. Petty elitism. It's childish. It's not a far cry from the odd things immature kids do to try to form some sort of shallow identity.

[KaaBoom]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

I grew up working class. My grandma grew up in an Indian orphanage in Oklahoma, and she is the matriarch of the little bit of family I've ever had. So what.

I'm not necessarily accusing the Walmart haters of being wealthy. Many of the haters are just followers. It's a personality and mindset as much as it is about wealth. Besides, Walmart has a ton of high net worth, truly wealthy individials who shop their stores, especially in rural areas and smaller communities. I just believe the Walmart hating is driven by elitism more than anything. Petty elitism. It's childish. It's not a far cry from the odd things immature kids do to try to form some sort of shallow identity.

Give me a break. It has nothing to do with elitism. Do some research. There are so many reasons to hate Walmart. Most people who hate Walmart probably shop at Target. Which is not exactly an elite store.

Personally the reasons I hate Walmart. The stores are filthy dirty, over crowded, understaffed, the under paid employees are rude, and the customers are worse. Generally I don't see any of these problems at Target.

Now the reason that everybody should hate Walmart.


Walmart High Cost Of Low Prices (Full Length Documentary) - YouTube

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by KaaBoom

Give me a break. It has nothing to do with elitism. Do some research. There are so many reasons to hate Walmart. Most people who hate Walmart probably shop at Target. Which is not exactly an elite store.

Personally the reasons I hate Walmart. The stores are filthy dirty, over crowded, understaffed, the under paid employees are rude, and the customers are worse. Generally I don't see any of these problems at Target.

Now the reason that everybody should hate Walmart.


Walmart High Cost Of Low Prices (Full Length Documentary) - YouTube

Yup. Many shop at Target. I get a kick out of that. The whole Target VS Walmart thing is akin to Ford VS Chevy. But having an elitist attitude doesn't mean somebody is elite, usually just ignorant.

[blackmet]

Originally Posted by MOKAN

I suppose if the busy nearby Target was built without subsidies, then Walmart shouldn't expect them either. But if the Target did receive subsidies and the nearest current Walmart didn't, assuming it's reasonable close to compete, there's no reason the proposed Walmart shouldnt, especially if it is a nice, unique or otherwise expensive storee design. We shouldn't be picking and choosing which businesses succeed via subsidies or giving one business an unfair advantage over the other. Face it, people who hate Walmart do so because they are less-than-humble fascist snobs who think of their stores as "low brow". It's childish because in the grand scheme of things Target and Walmart aren't much different.

The Target in that area was initally built over 30 years ago, then remade into a SuperTarget years later. I don't think any subsidies were involved, but I'm too lazy to really look into it at this point.

And, yes, I'm anti-Wal-Mart. I won't really deny it. I grew up in one of the small towns that Wal-Mart basically completely decimated (Columbus, NE), so that's a definite strike. I find the stores to be generally dirty and overcrowded, it takes forever to check out, and my time is worth more than the 7 cents I save by walking in there. Plus, I also know SuperTarget shops Super WalMart and sets their prices on 100 different items to match Super WalMart. There may be individual item differences, but in the end, you'd pay the same, just that at SuperTarget you don't want to kill yourself. Plus, I have an issue with giving money to 6 people who have more money than 30% of America, but that's not something to get really into...

Honestly, I'd make the area primarily residential. We are in DESPERATE need of rental housing. Rents have been going up by 10% a year over the past couple years. There's just not enough supply, and most of it is overpriced. Put some small shops/office space on the ground floor, maybe have a reasonably decent anchor (Kohl's was mentioned, and I think that would work well, Penney's would too, otherwise, I might see about trying to bring something new to the market -- Von Maur? Herbergers? --), but devote most of the area to rental apartments, with a decent percentage of them being for lower income people.