SW 104th and May Avenue Construction???

[Dave Cook]

Channel 4 did a story on this tonight. Anyone else see it?

[BaconCheeseburgerDeluxe]

Based on Miller's site it sounds like Lakeridge Run HOA is not going the NIMBY route. Instead they are telling Wal-Mart your presence is welcome. Just do us one little favor and build your store to where it is an asset to our neighborhood. Do not build an eyesore.

In the end it will look like either the Danforth store or the 15th street store.

[jbrown84]

What was their angle? Did they show people that were unhappy about it?

[BaconCheeseburgerDeluxe]

I just watched the report on kfor.com The neighbors were not happy about it however, the neighborhood association spokesman stated "Were not Anti-Walmart, we just want a few things taken care of"

The city spokesman said they cannot help the home owners. I think it may have something to do with what the reporter mentioned. The area was zoned for commerical develpoment back in the 80's. If that is true Wal-Mart or some other large store will end up there eventutally.

[SoonerDave]

Darn, wish I'd seen that piece. Oh, well...

As a matter of clarification, the residential area on that corner is "Lake Ridge." There is an older addition to the east of may that is called "Lakeridge Run." It can be frustratingly confusing, particularly when you are trying to give someone directions. You have to tell people *not* to go into "Lakeridge *Run*."

-SoonerDave

[SoonerDave]

Hah...good ol' web...

Found the video of last night's news on the KFOR website. Shame they weren't around to interview me :-) I would have made Anderson proud.

About the only good thing in that story is that WalMart hasn't yet applied for any kind of building permits. I realize that's just a matter of time, but still...

-SoonerDave

[SoonerDave]

Interesting bit of pure rumor...

A friend of mine had heard about WalMart, but from a slightly different angle. What he claims to have been told (by a manager of a WalMart Neighborhood Lack of Grocery) was that WalMart was planning to build what was termed a "prototype" or "experimental" store somewhere in SW OKC.

The only reason that jolted my curiosity is that I came across a story out of Arizona from late last summer talking about WalMart planning to experiment with a "new concept" superstore, with upscale merchandise/branding, and one of the first ones was planned for San Antonio. It sounded to me like a direct response to the SuperTarget concept.

Now these two notions aren't even remotely related in any way except by irony, timing, and circumstance, but it would be interesting to discover that they might be planning to drop something than a pre-emptive urban blight bomb on that corner..

-SoonerDave

[Easy180]

Just a quick note

The Super Walmart in Moore has renovated both the outside and inside recently...New paint/tile

Kinda kills the notion that Walmart doesn't keep up their stores since it hasn't been there that long

[SoonerDave]

Kinda kills the notion that Walmart doesn't keep up their stores since it hasn't been there that long

Au contraire - the exception proves the rule.

The WalSlum at 104th and Santa Fe is going to be getting the same/similar treatment shortly. It's been there about five years.

WalMart hasn't maintained their properties until they started going under the public spotlight for neglecting them.

-soonerdave

[Easy180]

So you are saying they are fixing up Moore's store due to neighbor's complaints?

Doubtful....Think they are doing it in response to the nice SuperTarget now in N Norman...Think it's just plain old competition

[mranderson]

Actually, I bet Wal-Mart is remodeling the location because they do that to stores that are not too small but out of date. The remodel is probably nothing more than a reset.

[SoonerDave]

Doubtful....Think they are doing it in response to the nice SuperTarget now in N Norman...Think it's just plain old competition

No, of course not local neighborhood complaints, but general negative exposure about the WalMart name in general.

Response to the SuperTarget? A better-maintained property you say? A prime reason WalMart same-store sales are flat or down? Good enough for me....although I don't think it explains the remodel @ I-240 and Santa Fe...no SuperTargets in the area....much more likely is that a general recognition that cruddy, nasty stores are part-and-parcel with the WalMart name, and suddenly higher on their list of things to rectify.

-soonerdave

[okclee]

Here is a good read on Wal-Mart and other communities around the U.S.


Wal-Mart foes fight development - Consumer News - MSNBC.com

[SouthsideSooner]

I got an email from the Lakeridge HOA president saying that Walmart has pulled out of this project and that the development is now up in the air.

I talked to another very credible source that said Walmart is going to be part of a development at S. 104th and I-44 instead. There is 90 acres zoned C-3 on the NE corner of that intersection.

[Easy180]

I got an email from the Lakeridge HOA president saying that Walmart has pulled out of this project and that the development is now up in the air.

I talked to another very credible source that said Walmart is going to be part of a development at S. 104th and I-44 instead. There is 90 acres zoned C-3 on the NE corner of that intersection.

Nice scoop sooner....Makes more sense for Wallymart to put one right off I-44 anyway

[SoonerDave]

I got an email from the Lakeridge HOA president saying that Walmart has pulled out of this project and that the development is now up in the air.

HALLELUJAH!

Actually, this does not surprise me. I saw an article in the paper this week that reported Wal Mart had planned to reduce its new SuperCenter openings by 28% in the coming year, and I figure if the odds are generally the same, that meant about a 1-in-4 chance the 104th and May project would be on the block.

The link to the TAPP Development site for this project was taken down/routed to a login page about two or three weeks ago.

-soonerdave

[Martin]

i like this better... but i'm still not big on having a walmart anywhere nearby.

-M

[SoonerDave]

mmm, I generally agree with you on that, but to me there's SO much difference in having that extra distance down the street from May & 104th. Rather than having it in my front yard, where it was literally walking distance, now it's driving distance.

This location makes sense because it is also near where Target is supposedly interested in building a SuperTarget, but on the west side of I-44.

-soonerdave

[russellc]

I worked at Wal-Mart in Moore during the summer after highschool a few years ago, and they said they are supposed to remodel their stores every 7 years.

[jbrown84]

The Penn & Memorial location is currently remodeling, and 7 years old sounds about right.

[SWOKC 4 me]

This location makes sense because it is also near where Target is supposedly interested in building a SuperTarget, but on the west side of I-44.

-soonerdave

Hopefully Target will beat them to the punch and Wal-Mart will not want to build that close to Target and we can keep new Wal-marts out of South OKC all together. --- Sorry Wal-Mart lovers but I HATE Wal-mart. I would much rather see Target. I am all for new businesses on the south side just not Wal-Mart.

[Martin]

just re-reading this... wouldn't the nw side of i-44 be too close to the airport flight path for a big box? i could see something going in on the ne corner, but not the nw corner.

-M

[SoonerDave]

I was thinking the same thing ,mmm.

In fact, I thought most of the property on the NW corner of 104th and I-44 was actually behind the airport perimeter fence...the south side of that area looks vast and unencumbered, however....

-soonerdave

[SuperScooper]

If the city had any common sense they would close Portland between SW 54th & 104th and close 74th and 89th just a few hundred feet away from the on/off ramps.

This would leave a huge piece of property for future runways, aircraft maintence bays and possibly room for a future airline hub.

[SouthsideSooner]

It looks like this project may be back on.

I live in Lake Ridge and received this email from our homeowners assoc. president.

"7-14-08

Hello everyone,

There have been several inquiries concerning a rumor that Crest Foods will be building a grocery store on the vacant lot at SW 104th & May Ave.

I have heard the same rumor and believe there is an 80% chance that the store will be built near SW 104th & Earlywine. The rest of the property will most certainly be developed also, however no type of stores or names have been mentioned.

As other information becomes available, I will pass it along."

Has anyone else heard anything about this?