The Way I See It!

Wal-Mart to the Rescue?

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on April 12, 2010

Cudahy, Retail, Iceport, Development, Wal-Mart

So how would you feel if Wal-Mart contacts the new city Administration and offers to finish cleaning the Iceport site and pay all the back taxes plus reimburse the costs the city has already incurred on the site? 

(How about for the new administration, we all start to call it the Meyer site)

To all the incoming alderpersons, how about getting a good gauge of what the people in your district want now?  Send out a letter to the people or canvassing them in your area asking them how they feel about it.  Just making a few phone calls or stopping by a few houses will not cut it.

I think many people who objected last time might now welcome Wal-Mart and the rest of the development that Wal-Mart will bring with it.

I think this could be a good chance to finally put this whole thing to bed including the last three years of wasted time and efforts on the Meyer site.

The Retail Marketing Survey supports the “Big Box” for the Meyer site.  Remember that?  And having a Supercenter would give Pick N’ Save some competition that it badly needs.  The Cudahy taxpayers cannot keep paying the costs of cleanup just because some people object. 

Since Mayor McCue claimed it was because of the lawsuit we couldn’t do a referendum, why didn’t he ask to have it added to the ballot for the election we just had and put that issue to bed once and for all since the city owns the land now? 

He couldn’t take the chance that it would say YES to Wal-Mart.  That would be another indicator like the Retail Marketing Survey pointing in the direction he didn’t want or cared to see.

There is room on the Meyer site for a hotel and other things.  Maybe Country Springs will want to build a water park hotel once Wal-Mart commits to building in Cudahy.  Yes, they did have an interest at one time.  Maybe an Applebee’s or some other sit down food place.  Even that dreaded Sonic, which my seconded biggest fan for some reason dislikes.  He is so worried about what I eat.  That is just so nice in a weird way that he takes an interest in my food choices.  Actually, it is somewhat creepy like a stalker is. 

Anyways, it all starts with a strong anchor and that is Wal-Mart.  So to all the city people, we might not know who would be interested in coming to Cudahy until Wal-Mart and the city commit to the project.

Anyways, Wal-Mart is a piece of the puzzle to Cudahy and I do hope they contact Mayor Tony Day and he at least meets with them and listens to what they have to offer.

Cudahy has room for the ShopKo on Layton and Pennsylvania and Wal-Mart on the Meyer site.  Those two could force Kmart to either upgrade their store or it could close that store.  That would be unfortunate, but it is a possibility.  I think that store was built in 1969 and is in some needed help.

Was this last election a referendum on Wal-Mart?

Maybe.  Yes is my guess and that of my friend Jay Weber.

If you listen to Mayor McCue talk about the 2007 election that election in his mind was a referendum on Wal-Mart and in his eyes the people said “NO” to Wal-Mart.  Remember Wal-Mart was looking at building on the Layton and Pennsylvania site but determined it would cost too much money to build on the former dumpsite.  I also shot that down as he wasn’t running on a “NO” Wal-Mart platform, just not a $12 million taxpayer subsidy or TIF to Wal-Mart to build there.  BTW, Wal-Mart never asked for any taxpayer subsidy or TIF money.

(Odd don’t you think that the Meyer site is cheaper to cleanup and build than that site)

(Weird that the McCue of 2007 was worried about taxpayer and TIF money but Mayor McCue wasn’t)

Now ShopKo with TIF money (remember we are transferring it from TID 1) is looking at building there, but I was told it is contingent on a “NO” Wal-Mart clause.  Wal-Mart said they would love it if ShopKo were in Cudahy as well as that would increase traffic, which increases business.  Remember people there will be an increase of traffic and that is a good thing if we want Cudahy to prosper.  There are always tradeoffs.