Predictions
This post on the MLive forums manages to conflate just about every A2 NIMBY bogeyman into one nonsensical scenario: “What are you people going to say when Walmart buys its first downtown building and opens it’s first 4 story store? I predict we will hear about this being done in the next 18 months.” Wal-Mart is a name that strikes fear into the heart of A2, yes, but it’s not sufficiently scary unless combined with the ultimate bête noire: buildings over three stories downtown.
Well, we predict that the Wal-Mart will occupy the first four floors of an eight-story building, the upper four stories of which will be student apartments. And they’re going to knock down a historic house to build it.
And pave the Greenway for the parking lot.
posted by LauraF on February 14th, 2006 at 3:00 pmAnd they’re going to drain a pond that has an endangered salamander….
posted by Kozzie on February 14th, 2006 at 3:57 pmWal Mart won’t build in downtown A2. The elite don’t shop at Wal Mart. Now if that Costco that Scio just booted out came dowtown, A2 would love it!
It’s funny, though. Most of my OWS neighbors seem to *like* the idea of tall buildings downtown–just as long as they’re architecturally interesting and aren’t too massive or out-of-scale.
posted by Young OWSider on February 14th, 2006 at 5:40 pmAs long as it has a fairy door, I’m okay with it.
posted by Jen on February 15th, 2006 at 2:36 amI’d love to see a multi-story Wal-Mart (or any bigbox retailer, for that matter). In Ann Arbor (highly unlikely) or not, it would be interesting to see. It’ll never happen, because that’s not how their retailing model works. Even a two-story Wal-Mart would be a radical concept.
posted by archipunk on February 15th, 2006 at 11:17 amHell, downtown Ann Arbor can’t support a McDonald’s or Burger King.
What’s far more likely is we’ll see a WalMart in some currently-undeveloped spot in one of the townships (e.g. Scio). There’s the current angst over a bigbox store going in on Miller and Zeeb.
posted by briansp on February 15th, 2006 at 12:13 pm“There’s the current angst over a bigbox store going in on Miller and Zeeb.”
posted by eileenie on February 15th, 2006 at 12:36 pmCostco has backed out, says Scio is out. They don’t want to fight the locals, unlike Walmart has in Saline
What’s far more likely is we’ll see a WalMart in some currently-undeveloped spot in one of the townships (e.g. Scio)
You mean like the one they just got the final ok for on the corner of S. State & Michigan Ave. ? Cause we really don’t have enough traffic at that corner already with the new high school right there. But hey, WalMart graciously says they won’t sell guns at that particular store.
posted by Sandy on February 15th, 2006 at 2:20 pmAparently COSCO cares more for the communites opinion than Walmart does. Oh by the way, punch out and then start cleaning up!
posted by eileenie on February 15th, 2006 at 2:29 pmit’s not out of the question, and it happens in other places. san francisco, for example, has a two-story costco and at least one two-story target.
posted by k on February 18th, 2006 at 10:30 pm