Potranco & 1604 Part II (Abilene, Lackland AFB: renters, transit, clothing)

[rd2007]

I think at least half of Lackland lives within a 5 mile radius of Potranco/1604. Very few live right next to it.

[Sharpydove]

Originally Posted by Drzy

Sorry if this has been covered... is there an area around Potranco that's considered nicer than others? I'm particularly wondering about the Lackland folks who live off base. Do they generally live as close to the base as possible, or is it a nicer area if you move closer to Potranco? Any rules of thumb would be appreciated.

The area around Potranco is terrible... once the economy tanked, all the plans to clean it up and develop it evaporated. The area around Lackland is embarrassing... of all the bases we have been stationed at, it is the worst. I never could understand it since this is where basic training takes place. You would think they would want to make a good impression and make it more of a showplace for visitors.

[wcresident]

Originally Posted by Steel Man

Is that 89% leased for space or number of stores? There sure are a lot of empty small store spaces in front. On the other hand, I read that Bandera Point is now 100% leased...of course they've been around a lot longer than AR. Also, I wonder if any businesses will ever go up along AR Parkway.

It's been a couple of months since I've been in that area, but I remember seeing signs for a CVS and a Broadway Bank on AR Pkwy...and some wrinkle in my brain says a Valero too, but don't hold me to it.

[wcresident]

Originally Posted by Drzy

Sorry if this has been covered... is there an area around Potranco that's considered nicer than others? I'm particularly wondering about the Lackland folks who live off base. Do they generally live as close to the base as possible, or is it a nicer area if you move closer to Potranco? Any rules of thumb would be appreciated.

Sorry to say that anyone looking for a "nice" area to live around Potranco and 1604 won't find much. Over the last 11 years I've watched more and more trash move in. Keep looking.

[sdodd]

Originally Posted by wcresident

Sorry to say that anyone looking for a "nice" area to live around Potranco and 1604 won't find much. Over the last 11 years I've watched more and more trash move in. Keep looking.

I dont think the Potranco area is that bad as you make it out to be.
Yeah there might be some bad streets in certain areas but overall a nice place to live.

[sdodd]

Originally Posted by Sharpydove

The area around Potranco is terrible... once the economy tanked, all the plans to clean it up and develop it evaporated. The area around Lackland is embarrassing... of all the bases we have been stationed at, it is the worst. I never could understand it since this is where basic training takes place. You would think they would want to make a good impression and make it more of a showplace for visitors.

I was a military brat growing up and did time in the service and have yet to be at a base where the outside of it is actually nice.

[Steel Man]

Originally Posted by Sharpydove

The area around Potranco is terrible... once the economy tanked, all the plans to clean it up and develop it evaporated. The area around Lackland is embarrassing... of all the bases we have been stationed at, it is the worst. I never could understand it since this is where basic training takes place. You would think they would want to make a good impression and make it more of a showplace for visitors.

I've been living around the Potranco area for almost 20 years and IMO it is not terrible, unless you're talking about the traffic. As for the area around Lackland AFB, what do you expect? All the bases are very old and as the military pay went up the people moved farther away to newer areas. It is the classic donut hole affect, with the bases being the donut hole. Also, the bases have no control over the areas outside their base. The only thing they can do is restrict military personnel from going to local establishments (usually clubs) that are deemed inappropriate.

[rd2007]

I did 20 years and most bases are pretty nasty outside the gates. The only real exceptions were NAS Oceana (Virginia Beach) and DLI (Monterey). Monterey was obviously the best, but only because you couldn't touch anything on that hill for much under $1 million. I still say the gov't could pay off almost the entire national debt if they would sell that primo land.

Any word on what exactly that land being cleared out behind wally world is? It looks like a neighborhood, but still kinda hard to tell. Especially when the only time I see the area is around 5:15 AM and it's dark.

[Camper1]

Originally Posted by rd2007

I did 20 years and most bases are pretty nasty outside the gates. The only real exceptions were NAS Oceana (Virginia Beach) and DLI (Monterey). Monterey was obviously the best, but only because you couldn't touch anything on that hill for much under $1 million. I still say the gov't could pay off almost the entire national debt if they would sell that primo land.

Any word on what exactly that land being cleared out behind wally world is? It looks like a neighborhood, but still kinda hard to tell. Especially when the only time I see the area is around 5:15 AM and it's dark.

Isn't that where the Costco or Sam's was supposed to be?

[Sharpydove]

All I can go by are the bases WE have been stationed at... Dover, Scott, Abilene, Altus, Enid... mostly by farmland, but at least it wasn't like the housing around Lackland... the Air Force Academy was like living in paradise. I've seen nothing to even come close to how it looks around Lackland. Randolph is even better.
As far as Potranco... please... do you ever even take a good look around you? Litter is all over, panhandlers, signage, trailers, dumpy-looking restaurants, the infamous weekend flea market. Ever since we got Wal-Mart and all that comes with it, things have gone downhill. Do you really think we'll ever get any nice business establishments to risk going in to Potranco Market? It will just be more of the same: nail salons, dry cleaners, chain restaurants, payday loan stores, cheap clothing. So, if that's what you want, hang on; eventually you'll get it.