Phil concludes that the ”only alternative, at this point, is to join a drive to get the citizens of Oro Valley and surrounding towns to sign pledges to shop locally and not at the Oro Valley Marketplace.”
In a letter dated February 24, 2007 to the Vestar Company’s attorney, with a copy to the Oro Valley Town council, I suggested an alternative to Wal Mart. Vestar’s shopping center in Chandler, AZ substituted two anchor stores for the Wal Mart SuperCenter in response to citizen pressure. I have yet to receive a reply.
On Vestar’s web page and flyers they stated the following: "Opponents (of the tax rebate) seem to want an 'Anywhere USA' shopping plaza without any of these features and without movie theaters. Oro Valley Marketplace is seeking to land stores and restaurants that don’t currently exist in the area. And soon, you’ll be enjoying the towns first-ever movie theaters, signature shops and a choice of many new restaurants. We expect a collection of first-in-market and destination tenants."
I believe the citizens of Oro Valley are owed an explanation from both Vestar and the Town Council. How do the tenants Vestar announced, Wal Mart Supercenter, Linen’s & Things, Petco, Chase Bank, Danny’s Family Car Wash, Best Buy, Olive Garden, and Cost Plus fit the above criteria?
It would be good, wouldn't it, for Town Council to explain to all of us exactly how these new tenants, especially WalMart, match the promises Vestar made to all of us.
4 comments:
Good for You Phil! Was surprised to see the Explorer post letters in opposition to the Super Wal Mart as the Anchor Store.
Most are not happy with this sucker punch by Vestar.
I get the feeling even those who supported Vestar feel a little foolish.
So why should we take this bs, sign the pledge & lets pressure them to deliver what they promised.
Sign on line, www.ov1st.com
also there was an ad in the paper where you can sign the pledge & mail it to a P.O box.
You are only out 39cents, if nothing changes, our tax dollars to the tune of 23million goes to Veatar. Are we that stupid here?
While I am not pleased with the choice of a Wal Mart at the Oro Valley Marketplace, I think that we should not be the least bit surprised. Nor do I think we are owed any explanation.
If you were an active participant in the process the possibility of a Wal Mart was mentioned frequently. Their plans showed a very large retail footprint with a garden center. How many retailers fit that description?
If it makes you(pl)feel better to nag the Town Council then do so, but frankly I don't want them spending their time attempting to please all of the people all of the time. When you look at the issue objectively, the term "unique" can mean many things to many people. Some of the retailers are unique to Oro Valley in that they are the first in our Town.
We have some very large issues in front of us including the Naranja Park, the State land to the north and the introduction of CAP water to Oro Valley and the costs associated with that. Let's concentrate on how to best address these issues.
The idea of signing pledges to not shop Oro Valley is, in my opinion, childish and counter productive if you want to support the local economy. The tax revenue we receive from Oro Valley Marketplace will spend just as well as tax revenue we get from other retailers.
Most people who voted against the tax givaway were NOT surprised by the announcement of Wal-Mart as the anchor store. Disappointed, yes. Disgusted, yes. But not surprised.
Many who were "active participants" know that Vestar's methods of gathering community preferences for retailers were far from scientific. Even at that, their own frequently cited numbers indicate that fewer than 10% of the residents wanted a Wal-Mart. Over 90% wanted a nice department store as an anchor.
The plans did not show a 175,000-sqare-foot store anywhere. The store adjacent to the garden center was around 50,000 square feet. They are combining three of those stores shown in the plans with the garden center to make the Wal-Mart.
I don't know of anybody nagging the Town Council about this, although it's fine for voters to let the Council know that they're not happy with how things turned out. Vestar is the one with the power to change things now.
"Unique" has only one meaning. It means "one of a kind." Vestar often used the terms "first in area" or "first in market." That doesn't describe Wal-Mart by any stretch of the imagination. This will be the 13th Wal-Mart in Pima County, with many more planned, I'm sure. It will be the second in Oro Valley, and Oro Valley is not shy about its plans to annex the Foothills Mall, which will give us three Wal*Mart stores. Another is planned near Oracle, I hear.
I agree that we have very large issues ahead of us, including the water impact fees. I understand that Vestar is exempt from those fees.
Finally, the sales tax revenue we get from retailers who did not receive a tax givaway is 45% higher than the sales tax we get at the Oro Valley Marketplace. So it is much better for Oro Valley to shop elsewhere.
OV Objective Thinker believes that "unique" simply means that the store is unique to Oro Valley. But that's not what Vestar led us to believe. You can debate the meaning of the word "unique" if you like, but you cannot debate the meaning of the word "upscale" which Vestar also used when attempting to sell us their marketplace.
Also, signing pledges not to shop at OVM is not childish, it is effective. Chandler residents used this same tactic to prevent Vestar from building a Wal-Mart in their town and it worked!
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