Comments about ‘Wal-Mart zone change opposed in Sugar House’

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Published: Wednesday, Feb. 20 2008 12:44 a.m. MST

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lovesaltlake

The kmart at that location has struggled for years and years. In my view, it is a somewhat difficult location for retail. Even the restaurants there have struggled.
And the movie theatre certainly didn't make it.
I think Walmart is one of the few chains that could possibly make it work. I suggest you strongly consider a zoning change so that a new store can be build, one that is energy effecient, one that will increase the value to the area.

good luck

It is hard to keep Walmart out of the area, but it can be good for the community. I have lived in many places where the store has had a present and no one seem to care. I grow up in SLC, but have not lived there for years, I think Walmart would add to your community, no one in Scottdale, AZ care that there is a walmart, so why do you?????

uncannygunman

I hate to say it, but I sort of agree with lovesaltlake. Why couldn't it be a SuperTarget though? I bet that a lot of people who would fight WalMart to the death would actually welcome a SuperTarget. Face it, ST is just more appealing to the snooty set than WalMart!

Hey Wal-Mart...

...if you pay me what you payed Mr. Perrin, I will say that Parley's way is under-used too!!!

sodiedog

Increased traffic on Parleys Way...speeds already 50 mph plus; increased traffic on Foothill...the heaviest traveled surface street in Salt Lake. There is nearby retail at Smith's Marketplace, 23rd & 21st, Foothill Village and Sugarhouse a few blocks away. Yes, I can see why Wal-Mart is needed in that location since area residents are so deprived.

anne

We don't want it because it is a multinational corporation with unethical practices that homogenizes communities.

hp

We can make the property greener and more walkable without rezoning. In fact rezoning will defeat the purpose of improving the area. The incredible amount of increased traffic would be a disaster. this is a residential area with a few businesses. It is not the Fort Union business area, or 1300 south 300 west that are business districts. We must preserve our successful neighborhoods and not succumb to the bullying of corporate outsiders who wish to change the dynamics of our communities with rezoning whenenver the current zoning does not provide instant gratification.

Hog wash (snob wash)

WHat a bunch of idiots with little brains and to much snobbery. Wal Mart is going to have a store there either way, they have the right and you are making a mistake to not leverage for better things than to fight them. They can use the present building and just expand or other things to the footprint. You won't get more green space if you don't look at the new plan and negotiate. Traffice won't increase that much over what it already is except on parley's and most of that increase would be local.

patrick c

Target! Target! Target!

prototype Wal-mart is great

There is a new prototype Wal-mart in Highland Village, Texas that just opened. It is a high-efficiency uperscale, upperclass Walmart which puts the other Walmarts to shame. It is much nicer, has a pizza bar, sushi bar, upper-class bakery, etc. The whole store looks much nicer than regular and there is never ever long lines. This is a totally new standard for Wal-mart. Just thought you might want to know about it. You can google it to get the picture. The outside of it has great landscaping and doesn't looks too classy for Wal-mart except for the name. It gets great business for this very upscale suburban neighborhood.

Elaine Brown

Wal-Mart's proposed rezoning plan is environmentally sound and esthetically pleasing. Yes, there are other retail establishments in the area including grocery stores and Foothill Village, which favors boutique and high-end speciality shops. However, there is a market for a variety/discount store. K-Mart has failed to fulfill that need due to poor management practices, not lack of potential customers.

The area has been commercially zoned for over forty years now and remains so. A balance of commercial, residential and recreational space already exists; a new Wal-Mart will not upset that balance. Considerable public funding has been expended to create bike and pedestrian paths along Foothill and Wasatch Boulevards and very recently a bike/pedestrian bridge was built to span the areas above and below those streets.

A successful Wal-Mart will increase the tax base needed to fund projects such as those cited above. It will also provide entry-level jobs for area residents, including our teenagers.

Yes, I fully support Wal-Mart's rezoning plans and encourage opposing residents to rethink their objections. As pointed out in last night's Sugarhouse Community Council Meeting, a variety of retailers or a strip-mall situation could very well be worse than what Wal-Mart has proposed.

jmdspk

While Wal-Mart will bring in more tax dollars, it is well established that they cost more in tax dollars than they bring in. From increased infrastructure cost, fire cost, police cost and so on.

Question

Why is it that everyone hates Wal-Mart so much. As stated in an earlier post, If it was a Super target, or some other Big Box store there wouldn't be this uproar over "homogenization of the town", "unethical" etc. It is a company based on making money. That is what a business' do. A company that loses money closes, which is why all the former business in that location closed.

As to unlimited money. Why should a company have to pay twice as much to remodel an old ill-fitting store, when it can tear it down and rebuild a store to their own specifications. Just because you have money, doesn't mean you should spend it foolishly.

Zacko

Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated.

Walmart does not generate anything but money for the mothership, eyesore storefronts and endless expanses of parking lot.

All because as Americans we are unwilling to pay a fair price for products made in this country.

The allure of being a piece or garbage shirt made in Sri Lanka or Nicaragua is just to great.

Frank

(sarcasam)You have no choice, Walmart will get there either way. It gets what it wants, so you should just accept that. Don't you know that everything good and decent needs to be forced on people, Walmart knows that.(end sarcasam)

On the serious side, shed a tear for the many people who are going to have to work forced part time on slave pay to keep that Mart running so soup can be 10c cheaper.

Superman

I don't think Target is an option. Wal-Mart owns the property.... not Target. Like it or not, people tend to flock to Wal-Mart. A perfect example of this is the Wal-Mart on 9th E and 47th So. That Wal-Mart is always packed while the K-Mart across the street has an empty parking lot.

Wal-Mart will bring a great deal more traffic to the Parley's area..... not to mention Foothill Blvd. Have you ever tried to get get out of the K Mart parking lot and go Northbound on Foothill? It's nearly impossible. Therefore, traffic will go down Parleys and through the neighborhoods directly west of the existing K Mart property.

I vote that they turn the property into a park and call it good.

Just say NO

just watch the documentary about WalMart on HBO - or perhaps do any amount of research on how walmart is a horrible corporate citizen...

I would welcome any store but walmart - target, a super blue boutique...anything but walmart.

I live in the area and we don't need a walmart at all.

Answer your own ignorance by doing a little research - Target treats their employee base like gold compared to walmart.

Wal-Mart Junk

The only difference between something bought at Wal-Mart and DI... two weeks!


Sugar House Resident

Walmart owns the property and can develope it for their store within the current zoning. The zoning was put in place years ago for a reason, the current Kmart store no longer fits that zoning. The city has adopted the masterplan and zoning for that area years ago, which has had public input at that time. This is not about keeping a Walmart from existing at this location or being anti-Walmart, it is about working within community designed standards.

uncannygunman

To Superman: I fear you are right. However, it seems just possible that determined community resistance to Walmart, combined with community welcoming of Target, might just make it more attractive for Walmart to sell the location to Target, and more attractive for Target to buy it.

I doubt it, but it's possible.

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