No BS Question

[Townsend]

Why the focus on WalMart?

I think, a while back, there was a rumored chance at a DT Wal-Mart.

[Teatownclown]

I think, a while back, there was a rumored chance at a DT Wal-Mart.

It's not WalMart.....

[Townsend]

It's not WalMart.....

but the rumor was...

[carltonplace]

Here is the TW Story on the subject:
the "urbanized" ended up meaning that it would have a brick facade, not actually fit an urban footprint.


A Supercenter will anchor an east-end redevelopment project.


An urban-designed Wal-Mart Supercenter is coming downtown as the anchor tenant to a proposed East Village mixed-use redevelopment project, developers confirmed Thursday.

Real estate developers John Williams of Claremore and Tom Seay of Arkansas have teamed on the project.

Williams, sole principal of Downtown Tulsa Developers LLC, has purchase options on about 15 acres of land owned by Bill White, owner of a former car dealership, and the Nordam Group, an aerospace component manufacturer.

The property sits roughly between Frankfort Avenue and U.S. 75 between Fourth and Sixth streets.

"Once the public understands the project and what it will do to the whole east end, I can't possibly imagine why they wouldn't come on board," Williams said.

Seay, a former Wal-Mart executive vice president for real estate construction, now owns the Seayco Group, which has developed many "big box" retail centers, including several in Tulsa and one in Owasso.

In addition to Wal-Mart, the tenants that Seay works closely with include Target or Super Target, Kohls, Belk, Lowe's
and Home Depot.

"Not only is Wal-Mart going to bring the goods and the services and all the low prices they're known for, they also are going to build a quality product so that they have something to be proud of," Seay said.

"This is very exciting for downtown," he said. "It represents the first step toward redeveloping downtown by taking what is a blighted area and transforming it into a place where people can shop and live in an urban environment."

Williams said the development will be the first in nearly 50 years to occur in east downtown.

The project also includes about 150 apartments "that fit into the streetscape fronting on Fourth and Fifth streets with a parking deck," Seay said.

Surface parking also would be screened with landscaping and metal fencing, he said.

Seay said the Supercenter would be slightly smaller, at 150,000 square feet, to fit the downtown site, and will have a different exterior.

"It will be urbanized," he said.

The single-story store will have a red brick facade with some stucco and will back up to Lansing Avenue near U.S. 75.

Seay said the final design plans are not complete for the project.

Both men acknowledge they still have a lot of bridges to cross and they are working closely with the city.

"We also know we need to go meet with various downtown groups that are interested in downtown redevelopment and the City Council," he said.

Williams said another positive for the project is that a downtown Wal-Mart "would create a great service to north Tulsa because it's so close."

Seay said any effort by the city's administration to get a Wal-Mart into the vacant Albertsons store at 1601 N. Peoria Ave. will not affect the downtown project.

"We have a commitment," he said about Wal-Mart going downtown.

Wal-Mart officials plan to join Seay and Williams when they begin the public education process.

Seay and Williams said they hope to have some activity on the project within the next year to 18 months.

[Teatownclown]

Link and date of story? Outdated don't count....

[Townsend]

Link and date of story? Outdated don't count....

You asked "why the focus on Walmart?".  That was your answer.

[Conan71]

Link and date of story? Outdated don't count....

Seems like '06 or '07, that's all I got.

[rdj]

Debating whether places aka "districts" aka "neighborhoods" for this length has to be the dumbest thing I've ever come across.  It's a freaking name that allows someone to identify an area.  Jeebus.

[JCnOwasso]

Debating whether places aka "districts" aka "neighborhoods" for this length has to be the dumbest thing I've ever come across.  It's a freaking name that allows someone to identify an area.  Jeebus.

triple like, double stampy. 

Though it has morphed into a conversation about big box stores downtown...

[Townsend]

Debating whether places aka "districts" aka "neighborhoods" for this length has to be the dumbest thing I've ever come across. 

It's what happens when we stop supporting the arts.

[AquaMan]

This was a new level of hyperbole......

In our attempt to identify ourselves with larger more complex cities we like to adopt these terms without fully exploring their history and purpose. "Districts" are typically not an organic free grouping of individuals.  Most (but not all) of the time they were established as an administrative division, created by some form of government action designed to segregate a population, group, or economic activity.  In most cities the term "District" has been dropped or replaced by other more inclusive terms like "Center" that still establishes the idea of concentration without the concept of exclusion or division.

So, to be politically correct this poster would have us change the "financial district" to "the money changers center"

The "red light district" to "the love center"

And "the commercial/industrial district" to "that area where people wear bandannas and work with their hands".

[Hoss]

This was a new level of hyperbole......

In our attempt to identify ourselves with larger more complex cities we like to adopt these terms without fully exploring their history and purpose. "Districts" are typically not an organic free grouping of individuals.  Most (but not all) of the time they were established as an administrative division, created by some form of government action designed to segregate a population, group, or economic activity.  In most cities the term "District" has been dropped or replaced by other more inclusive terms like "Center" that still establishes the idea of concentration without the concept of exclusion or division.

So, to be politically correct this poster would have us change the "financial district" to "the money changers center"

The "red light district" to "the love center"

And "the commercial/industrial district" to "that area where people wear bandannas and work with their hands".

Sounds kinda like District 12.

[Townsend]

The "red light district" to "the love center"

So an area of 11th street could be 66 Love Center.

[carltonplace]

So an area of 11th street could be 66 Love Center.

69 Love Service Center would be more accurate? Am I channeling BreadBurner for some reason?