Tucson, Arizona Published: 04.07.2007
In response to the March 29 article "Marketplace ceremony festive, but draws protest." After reviewing the designs for the shopping center, I spoke with David Malin, project manager for Vestar, and told him I had seen the businesses on Vestar's Web site in other Vestar shopping malls. I asked him if we would be getting the same chain stores at Oro Valley Marketplace, or the "unique" and "upscale" shopping experience Vestar had promised. I told Malin many Oro Valley citizens did not trust Vestar because other developments in Arizona had not turned out the way residents had been led to believe. His reaction surprised me. "That is your opinion," he said as turned his back and refused to speak to me. A survey was handed out by Vestar to Oro Valley residents asking which stores they would like to have at Oro Valley Marketplace. Wal-Mart placed last behind Nordstrom, Dillard's and Kohl's. What was the point of having all those open houses and neighborhood meetings when all we got was exactly what Vestar wanted, a Super Wal-Mart, thus seemingly ignoring any input from Oro Valley residents and neighborhood committees.
Anne Britt Retired, Oro Valley
4 comments:
At this point, I am pate being astounded at how arrogant our town management acts towards its citizens. They simply need to be replaced.
Well I would keep a few of them!
Rumors of recall have been floating around, but so far that is all it is, just talk.
Regarding the survey's that Vestar gave OV residents to complete: Those surveys were just an underhanded way for Vestar to bring in Wal-Mart and then try to make it look like it was OUR idea. How do I know this?
Because I remember Malin stating that Dillards and Nordstrom, etc. received the most votes in the survey but they won't come to an outdoor mall. Then he worked his way down the survey results to Wal-Mart and said that Wal-Mart WOULD come to an outdoor mall.
Well, he's been working with these stores for years and he already KNEW prior to handing out the surveys that Dillards and Nordstrom and Bloomingdales and Macy's would NOT come to an outdoor mall. Vestar just needed a few residents to write in "Wal-Mart" so they could bring in the Wal-Mart that they were already planning to do anyway and make it look like they were bringing in Wal-Mart in response to the survey!
This is and has always been nothing more than a business deal for Vestar. They have never cared what the citizens of OV wanted. They just set it up to look that way in the beginning so they could get what THEY wanted.
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