The Low Blow for Lobu-- Letter to the Editor

This Letter to the Editor came in to the Austin-American Statesman on January 23, 2007 and it supports the building of a Wal-Mart at Northcross Mall on the corner of Anderson Lane and Burnet Road. The letter does reveal some of the LoBu landscape, from a decidely negative perspective. Here it is, word-for-word from the Statesman:

Good News for Northcross
It's time the Wal-Mart haters faced reality: A half-dead mall, an abandoned post office and a hodge-podge of used car lots, matress outlets, repair shops fast food joints, pet salons and gin mills aren't the brave new Austin.

Wal-Mart got targeted because it's a threat to grocery unions dear to Democrats. The accusations by the unions' fronts are either false or wildly exaggerated and their fear-mongering about Wal-Mart's effect on communities is sheer demagoguery.

I lived within a mile of a Wal-Mart superstore and its negative effect was near zero. There were no lights or noise, no necessary businesses closed, and the increase in traffic was minimal. the positive effects included 300 new jobs and a source of inexpensive household goods-- a convenience store without the exorbitant prices.

And did somebodymentiond crime? A code word, perhaps? Heaven forbid all the fuss is really about keeping black and brown shoppers in their place.

Edward
Austin, Texas

I have to admit, Edward shows literary talent. His description of LoBu businesses, though bleak, has some accuracy and you gotta love a colorful list for creating a mood. Ironically, he's describing the old Lobu with the list of marginal businesses. But he did use the phrase "hodge-podge" and that sounds like one of my early blog entries where I said the architecture dow here was a mish-mash of styles. I like the his irony with the term "the brave new Austin."

As for his Wal-Mart aesthetic, I don't agree. I don't see the benefits of Wal-Mart and never have enjoyed shopping there. Wal-Mart, as Edward states, is like a big convenience store with its lack of flavor or appeal. Do I need a massive convenience store in theneighborhood and for what-- the opportunity to pick up cheap undershirts in the middle of the night!

My belief is that inner city neighborhoods are going to become very prized real estate entitities. The proximity to downtown and Central Austin means that the land only goes up in value. Sure Wal-Mart can afford the rent but for the most part the quality of the stores and businesses is slowly creeping upward. Wal-Mart wants to get into LoBu early and many of the neighbors are unhappy. Don't know what will happen.

The neighborhood people resisting Wal-Mart have a website. It's called: ResponsibleGrowthforNorthcross.org.