Trader Joe's

[Breadburner]

This is a Trader Joes no if's ands or buts.....

[patric]

Preliminary development plans for a 12,000-square-foot grocery store to be built between 37th Street and 37th Place on Peoria Avenue were presented to the city late last year.
They're detailed: neat little rows for produce, neat little rows of display shelves, neat little rows for frozen foods. A line of cash registers.

It sure looks like a Trader Joe's.

Then there is this: The county's land records show the 1.5-acre property is owned by Brookland North LLC — the same folks who presented plans for the supermarket to the city last fall.
There's even a store rendering attached.
But, alas, the store is not named.

Don't forget, by the way, the dozen or so businesses that occupy the Peoria Avenue property now. They have been told they need to be out of their buildings by the end of February to make way for a new development.

http://www.fox23.com/news/news/local/brookside-business-relocating-end-month/nj3SD/

[carltonplace]

I hope it follows the Brookside overlay plan but I'm sure it wont. Right now there is a row of one story buildings that are built right up to the sidewalk...a giant parking lot will make a huge hole. Why are we so dead set on destroying the charm of brookside? There are empty spaces all over the place that a trader joe's could occupy.

[Breadburner]

I hope it follows the Brookside overlay plan but I'm sure it wont. Right now there is a row of one story buildings that are built right up to the sidewalk...a giant parking lot will make a huge hole. Why are we so dead set on destroying the charm of brookside? There are empty spaces all over the place that a trader joe's could occupy.

People buy real estate as an investment....If that was your land and Trader Joe's offered you a pile of money for it....What would you do...All those spaces are in need of major updating and improvements....They are as a whole in bad shape...From the owners point of view the ROI on that property does not make sense to rehab it....

[carltonplace]

Not saying that Trader Joe's shouldn't be built here...just that Trader Joe's should blend in and contribute to the street scape rather than detract from it.

[TheArtist]

Not saying that Trader Joe's shouldn't be built here...just that Trader Joe's should blend in and contribute to the street scape rather than detract from it.

Which would only add to everyone else's long term investments in the area, versus potentially harm it over the long term.

 

[Breadburner]

Not saying that Trader Joe's shouldn't be built here...just that Trader Joe's should blend in and contribute to the street scape rather than detract from it.

I'm with ya....

[SXSW]

I hope it follows the Brookside overlay plan but I'm sure it wont. Right now there is a row of one story buildings that are built right up to the sidewalk...a giant parking lot will make a huge hole. Why are we so dead set on destroying the charm of brookside? There are empty spaces all over the place that a trader joe's could occupy.

The renderings show it fronting the sidewalk/Peoria with parking behind, did you see something different on a site plan somewhere?

[Conan71]

There is a certain thingy called a planning commission.  They do take public comment and consider it.  If the public is not happy with the planning commission's approval of a project, they can go before the council to protest.  This has been used before to stop projects or change the outcome.  The Brookside Business Association is well-established.  I'd think they keep a close eye on stuff like this to make sure it's consistent with the rest of the area. 

As evidenced by the flap over the Gathering Place feeder sidewalk, people can voice their opinion, be heard, and change the outcome.

[TheArtist]

There is a certain thingy called a planning commission.  They do take public comment and consider it.  If the public is not happy with the planning commission's approval of a project, they can go before the council to protest.  This has been used before to stop projects or change the outcome.  The Brookside Business Association is well-established.  I'd think they keep a close eye on stuff like this to make sure it's consistent with the rest of the area. 

As evidenced by the flap over the Gathering Place feeder sidewalk, people can voice their opinion, be heard, and change the outcome.

Like they did with the QT expansion? The new Arvest Bank?

When I mentioned this to the Brookside Neighborhood association they said they had not heard anything about it.  They brought it up to a Brookside Business Assoc member at their meeting and he didn't know anything about it either.   

At least they do know about it now.  Whether they care or not is a different matter.  I think many of them are of a mind that just having a Trader Joes in the area will be a benefit, whether or not it meets with the Brookside Plan or not.

[Conan71]

Like they did with the QT expansion? The new Arvest Bank?

When I mentioned this to the Brookside Neighborhood association they said they had not heard anything about it.  They brought it up to a Brookside Business Assoc member at their meeting and he didn't know anything about it either.   

At least they do know about it now.  Whether they care or not is a different matter.  I think many of them are of a mind that just having a Trader Joes in the area will be a benefit, whether or not it meets with the Brookside Plan or not.

I can't imagine they would be so daft as to lose the up to the curb construction which typifies a good deal of Brookside. 

[dsjeffries]

Here are some renderings and a site plan for the development, taken from the PDFs the World posted. Notice how there's no door whatsoever facing Peoria. The entrance is in the back, facing the parking lot. The header on the site plan says "Option #1" so hopefully their other options have access from the street they're fronting.

[AngieB]

Does this have any affect on the likelihood of a Tulsa Trader Joe's?
http://www.okctalk.com/content/107-trader-joe-s-rei-coming-okc.html

[SXSW]

They'll probably open around the same time. 

As for the pedestrian-friendliness of TJ's, the ones I've been to in Denver also have the front door facing the parking lot behind or to the side.  At least from what the renderings show the building itself fronts Peoria at the corner of 37th Place with large window and a masonry enclosure (one in Denver is all CMU and looks really cheap).  Obviously the best option would be front door at the corner.

[Cats Cats Cats]

I would think that having one in OKC would increase the chances of a Tulsa store.  Depending on where their distribution comes from we will now have two stores within an hour.  Which means a GM could be over both stores.