Please give me Sprawl!!! (Easton, Stroudsburg: Home Depot, buy, pharmacies)

[Summering]

Ok we have a bit of conversation on here often about what a horror " sprawl" is.........of late I have needed local sprawl, but don't have it.
Here is an example. We head up to the Stroudsburg Sears for glasses and an eye exam. The amount of styles to choose from was very sparce and we wanted the ones with the magnetic, sunglasses that just pop right on.......so easy, and convenient. So from there we ride to Phillipsburg, NJ to their Sears........they had one simular type but not the same, and as we stepped in at 2:30 the optician was on her way out! Gosh, I really thought someone would be there until 4 maybe 5? We set some aside but, we're not too happy with the style.
Then.........we wait until Monday and go to a new place that just opened up.
Off we head, not local again..........but..........out to Easton. It took a bit of finding the 25th St. Mall was a different one then we thought. ( perhaps there is two?)
They had the correct kind, great..........purchased! But, now again.......we will go back in 7 to 10 days for pick up.
I don't know, I love my little village of Brodheadsville, and I do think we are a hub area and can get to many urban areas in pretty decent time.
But, I sure would love some of these stores closer to home.
Am I just one of the very few?
I'd love to have a close Walmart, Home Depot, Lowes, All American Eyeware,
Home Goods, Target, TJMax........and on and on. I'm so ready!
I wonder why the word sprawl makes me happy, while others cringe?
Just once in awhile, I'd like to just go into my own little town for things.....
We have room for some growth and we can still have the great areas beyond.............anyway.........my sprawl thoughts for the day

[FightinPhils]

If you want lots of stores, etc, in short driving distance, then maybe you'd be better off living in or near a city? Just a thought....

I don't get why people move to a rural area, yet expect city conveniences.

[Summering]

Oh no, I have never lived in a City.......and don't want to at all. ( visits are fine)
But, I have lived in places say like Denville, NJ where you have a town, but other big box stores are only about 10 min. away.
You might say.........I love both things, mixing well.
Even in Murrells Inlet, SC you can be in the backwoods one minute, and within 10min. be at the new Common Market, or the fantastic new Coastal Grande Mall and big box stores.
It can be done..........nicely. It doesn't have to take the" rural "away at all.......
If planned right.......that is the magic word........planning it right.

[MermanMike]

Both good points. I understand why it is frustrating for those in rural areas who say...keep it rural...we like being out here on our own without all hustle bustle of downtown. Most people do live closer to towns because of that reason.

And to me, big box stores symbolize a kind of reckless consumption that I find somewhat irritating. There is a sense of...we should be allowed to have whatever we want quickly and affordably...that I think is not quite as "convenient" in the long run, as it may sound.

[FightinPhils]

Originally Posted by Summering

Oh no, I have never lived in a City.......and don't want to at all. ( visits are fine)
But, I have lived in places say like Denville, NJ where you have a town, but other big box stores are only about 10 min. away.
You might say.........I love both things, mixing well.
Even in Murrells Inlet, SC you can be in the backwoods one minute, and within 10min. be at the new Common Market, or the fantastic new Coastal Grande Mall and big box stores.
It can be done..........nicely. It doesn't have to take the" rural "away at all.......
If planned right.......that is the magic word........planning it right.

Well, Denville itself may not be a big city, but its part of the NY Metro area. Murrells Inlet, SC, if I remember correctly, is near Myrtle Beach, right? One is a suburb of the largest city in the nation, and the other is a big tourist area. Much bigger markets than small mountain towns in PA. Although it seems as though the Stroudsburg area has been getting more and more big box stores, etc, as the area's been growing....

[Summering]

Denville still is its own little town, as it always was in the past.
It is divided into lake areas. Most sections of the town are lake communities. It is the hub of Morris County. Quite a good example of what towns can be.
( a great commute into the city can be had from the town for sure)
I do love that Stroudsburg is growing, there was a great need for these stores.......I think its fantastic.
Murrells Inlet, yes a suburb of Myrtle Beach..........Quiet if you want it, and sprawl within a decent timeframe. It works quite well......( except for that summer traffic!)

[NYRangers 2008]

I understand what Summering is saying. Brodheadsville is a small town with few amenities. Driving to Stroudsburg is about a 30 minute drive, wouldn't you say? With all the land in around that area, can't they build up the area a little while still keeping that home town feel? Then people in that area, like Summering, wouldn't have to drive as far and consume as much gas. It wouldn't be a city by any means, just easier to have certain stores close by.

[poconoproud]

Speaking from a Brodheadsville shopper, Summering, I agree totally. I so miss the Ames store. All we have to shop at here are pharmacies and dollar stores. Very disapointing when you can't even buy underwear in your own town! There are even large tracts of commercial property available, but no department stores seem interested. I have heard rumors since I've lived here about Wal-Mart having an interest in one of them, but nothing ever came of it. I strongly believe that the growing population of the West End deserves more. Why can't we attract a department store??!

[skijmpr]

The type of retailer does not define "sprawl"; putting aside all my other distaste for the retail giant, I would have no problems with Walmart wanting to build an "urban-style" store in the heart of some town. The problem is that they don't want to do that. They want to build a giant ugly warehouse surrounded by a sea of parking way outside the city line, thereby eating up more land into the countryside. Oh, and they're usually only accessible by car (i.e., not biking or walking).

So sprawl is more the style of growth and not the selection of retail available. I'm sorry you don't have more choices closer to where you live, but you could always try the Internets as well. That being said, I realize some things are harder to shop for online too.

I know some cities allow "big box" retailers in only if they adhere to strict building codes (e.g., Santa Fe, NM), which may involve the aesthetics of the structure, square footage limitation, street setback limits, requirements for rear-side or underground parking, etc. While I'd still take a good local shop any day over a chain store, these kinds of rules can at least make the latter more palatable.

[WasPA]

If I wanted immediacy, I would factor it in before making a move. That way, I would have the lifestyle I wished without feeling deprived on an ongoing basis and without urging the compromising of a more pristine area......there's no shortage of areas extant in New Jersey, PA, L.I., etc. that fill the bill as 'convenience within sprawl'. The solution isn't in creating more sprawl, I'd say, but utilizing what there already is......within (so much of) which there must be something to suit all tastes.....