Now we have Walmart’s local attorney Patrick Knecht applying for the list of registered Sioux Falls Voters from our dear friend SOS Jason Gant. Will they get it? Did they get it? At this point we do not know. What is the point? We will learn. They actually asked for the signatures of all the voters so they could compare your signatures. Nice. Our ALEC SOS is being asked to supply our information to the ALEC supporter, Walmart. Again, nice…
While doin’ a Google the other night, I saw a phrase I’d forgotten about, Mao-Mart as in the article Mao-Mart and Slavery. Always. I’d always meant to follow the threads and discover what it was. Well I finally did it. Oh boy… If you are a small contractor or supplier being asked to assist Walmart build their new store(s) there is one piece of advice for you: Get paid upfront BEFORE the build. Walmart spokesperson Delia Garcia has been real busy fielding answers to bad publicity generated by their construction practices.
Have you heard about them?
· How about not paying for documented change orders? Contractor says Walmart job nearly broke him
· The squeeze play Walmart and their General Contractors just don’t pay for work performed: Save money, live better? People building Wal-Mart say they just want to get paidÂ
·  The business bankruptcies they have caused when they do not pay their contractors:  Chicago Walmart comes up short
There are many more articles, all telling versions of the same story: Walmart does not pay their construction bills. Just read them yourself and make your own decision. They are not a good neighbor, Mr. Sam died and the managers running the business think subcontractors are suckers.
In the course of reading one of the stories about the nonpayment issues, Delia Garcia was defending the poor Walmart contractor pay performance. Delia Garcia, where have I heard that name before? Hmmm? Oh yea, she is the same one who constantly reminds Sioux Falls residents, Walmart is there to save the day. Then as I continued to read a Montana article, a name very familiar to Sioux Falls came up, Henry Carlson Company, of South Dakota. What?? Not Henry, tell me it’s not true? What is he accused of?
In Montana, Tom Sliter of Sliter’s Ace Lumber and Building Supply, in Somers, filed a lien against Wal-Mart in March 2010.
Sliter says his company provided $24,000 in cement, lumber and cleaning supplies for Wal-Mart’s new Hutton Ranch Plaza Supercenter in Kalispell. The project’s general contractor, the Henry Carlson Company, of South Dakota, withheld payment for months, Sliter says.
Sliter was one of 12 suppliers and subcontractors to file a lien on Wal-Mart’s Hutton Ranch Plaza property in 2010, according to the Flathead County Clerk and Recorder’s Office.
Sliter says he was forced to haggle with the Henry Carlson Company over who should pay for brooms, lumber and an $1,800 finance charge, among other things. Sliter says he thought about suing but worried he’d be outgunned. He settled for $19,000. “It’s kind of like being bullied,†he says. “I really resent it.â€
Even Henry Carlson Co. is doing this to suppliers and contractors?
Now you may read something into each of these reports to match your feelings, pro or against Walmart. Who cares. You know each of us has personal feelings about Walmart as a retail store. Their business practices are another matter. They continue to use Mr. Sam’s folksy story to give the public warm fuzzies while destroying the very fabric of our communities. Each of these contractors, in the dozens of stories on line, are average Americans trying to build successful lives by working hard and hopefully smart, to make it. The deck is stacked against the small businessperson by Walmart’s very business plan.
And then there is this, Walmart goes into a community never negotiating. There are reports of Walmart reps telling a group of Sioux Falls residents they never negotiate with communities or residents, NEVER. If Walmart wants to do something, by gawd don’t get in the way. So back to my night of playing the Google Machine. Oh my, an Argus Leader article popped up:
Board member’s construction company has done work for retailer
Apr. 6, 2013
A planning commission member who voted to approve a rezoning petition that paves the way for a new Walmart in Sioux Falls said he had no reason not to vote on the issue, even though his company has done work for Walmart in the past.
Meredith Larson, the vice president of preconstruction services for Henry Carlson Co., has been on the commission for 10 years. He was one of four commissioners this week to vote in favor of the rezoning on a 4-2 vote.
Henry Carlson has done millions of dollars of work for Walmart here and in the region over the past several years. But, Larson said, all of that work was earned through a competitive bidding process. And any work that Walmart awards in building two new stores in Sioux Falls —including the controversial store at 85th Street and Minnesota Avenue —also would be awarded through a competitive process.
“We have to bid the work,†he said. “We have to bid it just like any other contract. The only way we get work from Walmart is to be the low bidder.â€
So Mr. Larson is the VP of preconstruction services for Henry Carlson Co. Interesting how small a town this is. Let’s pass the rezoning petition because we have nothing to hurt by destroying a neighborhood. Building anything anywhere is progress. Heck we could probably find some subcontractors to help us, as long as they aren’t in a hurry to get paid…. Oh by the way, where is the Sioux Falls Ethics Commission on this interesting vote? Oh my bad, we don’t have one…
And this is what Sioux Falls sheeple want?
There is more, so think about it. Is this what we the people, our happy-clappy mayor and city council want in Sioux Falls? No wonder South Dakota won a top spot on the most corrupt standings again.  We’re number 2!  We’re number 2!
Great reading l3wis. Today this, tomorrow another article about bicycling in the greatest little city in America. I can hardly wait.
Another interesting read.
http://www.masterjules.net/walmart.htm
Thank GP, he did all the research on this. Wondering when the AL is going to connect the dots on Henry Carlson and the Missoula story.
This has always been my biggest contention with WM vs. SON. WM and SON both have a legal right to play the game, but WM doesn’t play fair.
How is it that SON turns in their petitions at 4:59 on a Friday, and the city clerk doesn’t lock the door to Carnegie before scanning the docs (She is required by law to scan the docs right after she receives them). Instead she welcomes them in, and let’s them watch her scan them, then gives them a copy way after the clerk’s office is closed for regular business, so the WM attorneys have and extra 3 days to comb thru them.
Hogstad should have taken the petitions and locked the doors and told WM to come back on Monday AM to pick them up.
What proof is there the doors at Carnegie Town Hall remained unlocked after 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 30th?
If this is true, then it would NOT have happened without Mayor Mike Huether’s consent.
This is NOT a decision Lori Hogstad, City Clerk, would have made on her own. And if she did, then she needs to be terminated!
Thank GP, he did all the research on this. Wondering when the AL is going to connect the dots on Henry Carlson and the Missoula story.
Thanks GP. And to you Scott. Your site is to Sioux Falls what the Huffington Post is to the national blogosphere.
Can always count on you to hold the medias feet to the fire. Will the argus ever do a little digging? How bout Belfrage? Knobe?
Never gonna happen.
Anon – Whoa, let’s not make any accusation as of yet. I am still researching what are the rules. But I do think it was unusual that they received the petitions AFTER close of business. Think about it. SON had to 5 PM to turn in the sigs, which is reasonable. So why did WM have AFTER 5 PM to take them. Not right.
Poly, the amazing part is the AL has all the dots, they created them. Planning Commission member’s conflict of interest: AL. Obtaining voter registration lists: AL. Public newspaper access to the Montana story, cake walk.
If the AL fails to cover this story, they are only doing this community a disservice. Who cares, back to riding bicycles to la-la-land.
Who was the general contractor for the east side Walmart?
Look who got the building permit from the City of Sioux Falls: Date: 2001-12-27, Permit# 83014, Address: 3209 S LOUISE AVE, Work to be done: ADDITIONS TO WALMART INTERIOR REMODL, Contractor: HENRY CARLSON CONST, Value: $3,947,000.00
Was Mr. Larson on the board back than?
Hawd…..I love this site.
That east side Walmart building looks pretty shabby already.
All about zoning – My tail.
When Heidepriem chose Arndt to be his running mate in 2010, Arndt was a registered Republican. Chris Nelson, who was the Secretary of State at the time, told Heidepriem that he could not certify the Heidepriem-Arndt ticket as the Democratic Party Gubernatorial ticket because Arndt was a registered Republican. So to solve this problem Arndt had to change his registration to Democrat, but there was a problem with this solvency, this legal squabble did not unfold until late on a Friday afternoon with the pending Saturday Party nominations still to unfold. What was the solution? Well, amicably the Lincoln County Auditor kept the office open until after 5pm, on a Friday, so that Arndt could change his Party registration.
I believe it was reported in the press, that Nelson told Heidepriem, that he(Nelson) did not have a problem with a County Auditor keeping their office open after usual hours to facilitate citizens. So in other words, the precedence has already been sit, when it comes to County Auditors and/or City Clerks bending over backwards for particular “constituents.”
The irony of this fact is that the Heidepriem law firm is the one which has represented the SON crowd in the past and probably still is…
Some will think I am a Walmart lover after this, but I am not. I just think that all of our neighborhoods should have to share in the pains of growth, including the upper-middle income families who tend to support political agendas that allow the Walmart tactics of the world to exist to begin with….
It’s too bad some people can’t see the forest for the trees.
Signing a written Petition of greivance to your government is a public act. Go look at the Declaration of Independence some time.
Why won’t the Argus run any stories on the corruption in the Walmart dealings? That’s easy to solve. Just buy a Sunday edition and you will find the answer inside.
Walmart advertising inserts.
If you want to keep your shady dealings out of the newspaper, pay for some advertising.
LJL. Was thinking the exact thing yesterday. So what did I take away from today’s argus? Ellis had a chance to connect the dots but did not. Lalley shaves his legs like true cyclists do.
Argus does not want anyone to connect the dots they print. They ‘report’ stuff but it is meaningless without context. Ellis and Montgomery present dots but it is up to us to draw meaningful conclusions. We can thank DL who gives us a space to discuss. Thanks!
Testor15 on 09.08.13 at 9:48 am
Argus does not want anyone to connect the dots they print.
Actually, Testor15, I think Ellis did connect the dots.
Most likely, it is our legal system and the precedent of “substantial compliance” which will decision whether there are enough valid signatures to get this on the April 2014 ballot.
From the beginning, it was not a smart “political” move on Huether’s part, to position himself as Walmart’s “cheerleader”.
And certainly, Walmart has the right to challenge the petition signatures, but why not instead just allow the process to play out.
The City Clerk and her two assistants are perfectly capable of understanding and carrying out the validation of the petition signatures.
So, if Walmart challenges and looses, do they also pull out of their plans for the NW quadrant of our City? Remember, if that happens, it would be the second time that they abandon plans for a presence in NW SF.
Why would they pull out? They don’t pay their contractors anyway.
Online building permit data only goes back 10 years it appears. Eastside was already built then. L&L Builders did a $1 million remodel in ’09.
Old school “shabby” mean good or cool. So I agree the new remodel made the eastside store look good. Much more spacious to shop at than the target or Kohls. Why they have not done that to the west side one is beyond comprehension.
Titleist – Declaration of Independence is NOT LAW.
Yeah, Titlelist, just a piece of paper that doesn’t mean shit.
11/20/2001 Permit# 82642, Address 5521 E 12TH ST, Business: WALMART, General Contractor: COLORADO STRUCTURES, Value: $4108605
SD is #2 most corrupt. Georgia is one. If there were a list of corrupt cities, Huether would brag we’re number one.
#13 Winston; the Heidepriem law firm represented me pro bono in state supreme court. They support democracy. There have been small gains since 2008 restoring constitutional government to our city. The media has been silent, perhaps paid off. The cardinal rule for subjective reporting is broken often. The editor of the Argus should be tried as a traitor. It will take citizen awareness & federally monitored elections before we can enjoy the freedom of 49 other states.
It’s easy to sell media (even newspapers) if you report the real dirt instead of polished propaganda. We, the news hungry, crave hearing about wicked boom to doom types. We’re happy in the middle class when we see how power destroys narcisists.
I’m glad I’m not a pro basketball player cause I don’t have to marry a Kardashian.
People are always clamoring for more open government… right up until someone uses that openness to do something they disagree with.
So let’s remove Walmart from the issue and pretend there was an individual requesting all of the signatures from a group who petitioned to have an outdoor pool built in a city park rather than a proposed indoor pool. Their intention is to verify the signatures are legitimate and to determine if those people are in fact registered voters. They may also be looking for blatant cases of fraud where names were signed by others or where fake names or signatures were used.
Is this not part of the democratic process? Do we have an expectation of privacy when we sign a petition? Or would we all be better off if a bright light was cast upon this process to ensure everything is on the up and up?
Besides, as the Argus Leader reported state law requires that petitions are open to public inspection for at least two years after they’ve been submitted.
If a group is confident in their signature gathering process they shouldn’t care because they know they have the numbers on their side and they did everything legally… so why all the concern if someone starts asking questions?
On a side note – I have a hard time believing SON would have waited until 4:59 PM to turn in signatures. That wouldn’t be very smart… and I understood their goal was to submit by 3:00pm. So unless anyone can confirm the whole “unlocked door” theory might hold less water than a porcupine’s underwear.
I think it is fine that WM is looking at the petitions, totally legal, the problem I have is any special treatment they may have received. No doubt this will end up in court, but when you have a mayor who is pushing for the WM, an ALEC member SOS, AG and a possible presiding Judge and former ALEC member SOS (Larry Long) you get a little worried about ‘the process’
I agree there shouldn’t be any special treatment, and if there was I wouldn’t agree with that – but if on the other hand there is precendent then so be it.
Sounds like people are complaining about things without knowing if they happened, or what is even legal.
WM could save some money and just farm out all the signator background checking to “Hornguy”. Cheaper than lawyers.
SON turned in at 4:00. The 3:00 was the final gathering. It was clerks office who started scan at 4:59.
SON submitted signatures at 4:59pm….confirmed.
Margret Nelson (member of Springdale Development, LLC) submitted an affidavit challenging the SON Petitions at 4:25 …. confirmed.
KSFY just said about 2000 digs were invalid. I wonder on what grounds. That number seems awfully high.
Would like to add when this whole WM deal startedi sided with WM. thanks to this site, I have a whole new perspective on the matter.
Go SON.
Poly – WM is claiming 2,084 signatures are invalid…not the city. This will end up in court.
Titleist on 09.09.13 at 6:20 pm
Margret Nelson (member of Springdale Development, LLC) submitted an affidavit challenging the SON Petitions at 4:25 …. confirmed.
As in, Margaret Homan Nelson.
So the challenge indicates the following issues:
1. several pages of the petitions do not include a notary stamp and thus are not properly verified
2. problems with the dates of notarization.
3. issues where the title of the officer administering oath is not provided
4. Several notations say “no signature†or “signer did not provide printed name†or “signer not registered or not found on voter registration list.â€
I suspect the issues mentioned in 1 – 3 won’t stand, because precedent has established that the petitioners merely “substantially comply” with the law. Minor technicalities such as these are easily challenged and will likely hold up.
As to issues listed in 4 those are the ones where SON should be concerned. Obviously they need signatures, so if there are cases where a signature or a printed name aren’t present I cannot see where those would be counted because it makes verifying the individual very difficult if not impossible. Also, if someone isn’t a registered voter they aren’t legally able to sign a petition, so obviously those names would need to be tossed as well. This isn’t unexpected as there are always people who sign these petitions that shouldn’t – which is why petitioners always try to collect as many signatures as possible.
The only question is will they have enough signatures once the invalid ones are removed? I’m guessing it will be very close – and we may see this drag out in front of a judge for the next several months.
There is some other issues that have surfaced since last night, I have a feeling this will end up before a judge before Hogstad even has a chance to look at them all.
If you think about it – either way SON has fulfilled their goal here, because their primary goal all along has been to delay Walmart.
If SON’s petition was successful, they delay the next step uptil April when the voters have their say. If SON’s petition wasn’t successful, they will challenge in court and drag this out for several months.
Either way, I’m sure we will see more activity after the conditional use process is underway. I’d expect more legal challenges and more petitions… maybe even an attempt to examine environmental impact (which we all know can stall projects or even kill them due to the length of time it takes to resolve).
Need to stock up on popcorn because it will be interesting.
Craig the purpose of the petition drive was not to slow down WM but to require them to abide by rules everyone else must follow.
If a big box wants to build then follow the rules, don’t make up their own.
Yea well if you tell yourself that enough times… maybe you’ll even start believing it Testor.
If however you want to support that statement, then by all means show me the law, ordinance, or “rule” that has been broken here. It isn’t like anyone is setting precendent, and the developers and Walmart have thus far been following the full legal process.
“the developers and Walmart have thus far been following the full legal process” as they have needed to change it to fit their needs.
The neighbors are using the legal methods to also protect their rights in this matter.
Craig Guymon jailed for 30 days and fined 1.2k today according to KELO for voting twice in a school board election in Mitchell.
Did people really sign the SON Petition twice?
titleist
There is a BIG difference between signing a petition twice and voting twice.
Testor: “The neighbors are using the legal methods to also protect their rights in this matter.”
Yes they are – and I don’t think anyone has suggested otherwise. Nobody has even suggested they have done anything illegal or even unethical here.
That said, I’ll concede that since you were unable to cite a single law, ordinance, or rule that the developers or “Walmart” has broken… that you admit thus far they are playing fair.
You may not like the outcome of the game – but don’t blame the players for following the rules. Like it or not, the city council has not done anything here which indicates special treatment for Walmart. Every action they have taken has precedent behind it.
@Titleist – all we know is there are accusations of people signing the petition twice. Let’s not assume those accusations are accurate and I’m sure the city clerk will figure it out. It is quite possible there are people with the same names or similar names.
Even if someone did sign twice, I would give them the benefit of the doubt and assume that was an honest error. Unless we see widespread examples of this I wouldn’t say it is anything more than a few confused individuals.
I’ll just predict right now for every 10 signatures that Walmart tries to contest, 5 or more will end up being just fine. We know there will be some that get tossed just as there are for every petition drive – the only question is will SON have enough when the final numbers are tallied.
Yeah – it’s not like Walmart was given a permit to build a factory on property zoned commercial – across from a public school – and then the zoning was changed to industrial AFTER the building was constructed – as is happening with some property in a nearby small town. Oh, and the person building the factory just happens to be good friends with a city council member who did the same thing a couple years ago.
Just be glad you don’t live in a small town where there really IS a corrupt self-serving government in place vs. the one you IMAGINE is in SF. But then again -if you did live in a small town – it “wouldn’t really matter” because “any development is good” development. Yeah – right.
Craig, there are many parts of the 85th and Minnesota story equating to secret handshakes of old. I am just saying, there appears to be rules created for special people and projects no one else in Sioux Falls could have gotten.
We still don’t know why 85th and Minnesota was chosen and then why the city’s own zoning rules were broken so a Big Box store could be built on property the City and State both have stated is a bad location.
If we had a real open government in Sioux Falls and South Dakota we could actually know how these things happened. As it is now we have a closed system of hoarding the data and too man closed door sessions we are not allowed to be part of.
The multiple petitions movement in Sioux Falls and South Dakota is a result of voters not comfortable with the closed nature of the system.
ruf, the same thing said about the zoning issue applies to Lennox, Tea, Harrisburg, Brandon and most of South Dakota due to the closed nature of decision-making.
Testor: “…why the city’s own zoning rules were broken”
Again Testor – what rules? Be specific – show me a source.
The fact is, there is no precedent established here. There is no ordinance or law which requires a transition between residential and commercial, because if there were such a law the East side Menards could not exist at their current location, nor could several Lewis stores, the 41st Shopko, the East 10th Kmart, and many more.
I think you are confusing rules with guidelines. Guidelines are flexible based upon the circumstances, and thus far the action taken surrounding that property is not unique nor does it equate to special treatment.
We also have guidelines that fences that align roadways cannot be more than three feet tall – but drive along any major road that backs up against homes and you notice a lot of six foot fences. That is because the guideline allows for exceptions and adjustments based upon circumstances. It is not fair to suggest every homeowner with a six foot fence is breaking the rules, because they simply aren’t.
Where does the East side Menards have stick built house near it? there is a manufactured housing park near the property but outside of the zone.
The city had a plan for 85th and Minnesota for several years. The land purchasers used these as a guideline to make decisions.
I know you are details only please person Craig, I appreciate it, but you are missing the developed political realities. There is money and power to to gained by special people and groups abusing the citizens. By demanding the letter of the law to be cited when someone disagrees with your points, the discussion misses the spirit of the law. Our common law system is based on the law, the spirit of the law and the practice of the law.
GP: “Where does the East side Menards have stick built house near it? there is a manufactured housing park near the property but outside of the zone.”
So because people can’t afford half million dollar stick built homes and instead living double-wide manufactered homes they are less deserving of consideration?
By the way – if you look to the East of that Menards across Powderhouse road you will find stick built homes that are closer than anyone in Twin Eagle will be to Walmart.
I didn’t see anyone protesting when Menards bought that property – even though it is directly across a road with ZERO buffering on both sides of their building. In fact, they are probably at least 200 -400 yards closer to Menards that any single family home will be to Walmart.
Testor: ” Our common law system is based on the law, the spirit of the law and the practice of the law.”
Sure thing… but I’m still not sure what law you are ever referring to. Eventually you are just going to have to be honest with yourself and admit that the developers, the city, and Walmart have all followed the law. You don’t have to like it, you don’t even have to like them… but that is the reality.
I’m not going to defend Walmart, their business practices, their wages, or their impact upon the local economy. I will however defend their right to exist when they are in fact following all of the rules and laws enacted by the city and its residents. Replace Walmart with “Business X” and I’ll say the exact same thing.
Google map the whole Dawley farm, Walmart, Menards area and you will see that many homes are much closer than anything proposed at the Wal-Mart site down south. That is what makes this just a cat fight. There are people who own very nice homes just west of the eastside Wal-Mart. There are people with nice homes within a football field of that store. Not just the “trailer trash” that some like to think is by the Menard’s.
If I could post the maps, it would show the location differences.
Those nice homes you refer to are nice “manufactured housing units” (MFU) not stick built houses west of Menards. Nothing wrong with this fact, many MFU are very nice (not the dump I lived in during college). The land between the Menards and the 200 MFUs currently is a green buffer. They are nice but they are placed there as the ‘buffer’ to the stick built ‘established’ houses.
Dawley Farms development is designed to not interfere with the established neighborhood to the west. I know some home owners over there who are upset they cannot access Walmart and Target easier. The houses are several football fields away with the current green buffer area in between. The green area is designed for eventual smaller commercial or apartments as a buffer.
None of the areas you mention come anywhere close to the 85th and Minnesota location in land use or traffic design.
I remember east side discussions when the adjacent property owners were upset the cornfields were going to be gone. The houses (including property lines) are quite a bit further away than the WM driveways and traffic of the proposed south side WM. No traffic dumps into the residential street. All traffic dumps onto Hwy 42 and the new SD100 from these developments.
None of the east side stores or developments have the bad traffic situation as is being proposed for the south side location. WM 1,000 parking spots use the the two full Hwy 42 light controlled access points. Combined this with a current secondary access point to the south into Dawley Farms. There is a proposed additional access point on the west side of WM into Dawley Farms as the growth progresses.
Menards has approximately 500 parking spots using the Hwy 42 access point with eventual two additional access points as the property is more developed. Menards moved into the spot knowing full well, the eventual ability to have the additional access points to SD100 as needed.
The proposed south side big box will not have a primary access point dump traffic onto multiple state highways or planned major commercial streets nor will it ever have the ability to.
Testor: “Those nice homes you refer to are nice “manufactured housing units†(MFU) not stick built houses west of Menards”
Which is why I said there were stick built homes EAST of Menards. You know…directly across the street?
I do find it pretty say how people are so quick to suggest those living in single family manufactured housing should be given less consideration though. They are hundreds of yards closer than any single family home would be to Menards, but people pretend like they don’t exist. Classy.
Testor: “No traffic dumps into the residential street.”
You’re right – but then again the proposed 85th and Minn Walmart won’t either. Audie Ave will be offset as to prevent vehicles from flowing directly into their neighborhood. Not that anyone would want to anyway – it doesn’t lead anywhere.
Now if residents are REALLY concerned about traffic slipping in, they could propose that the median on 85th be closed once they add the Southern two lanes, so the only access onto Audie to the North would be right in – right out. They could still access their homes from the West via Grange if that was a legitimate concern, but from what I’ve heard they are more concerned about traffic going in to and out from Walmart… not traffic going in to their neighborhood.
Wouldn’t want them to have to deal with actually seeing or hearing cars would we? Surely that isn’t fair for someone who builds a house along a roadway which was designed to be a major East-West acess and which was designed to be a four lane divided road. Those darn city planners thinking ahead like that.
“None of the east side stores or developments have the bad traffic situation as is being proposed for the south side location.”
Yes I know… you are a fully qualified traffic engineer now. However, back on planet Earth that Menards I mentioned has a total of ONE access point via ONE single traffic light which just so happens to also be one of the only two access points to a gigantic Walmart along with a feeder point to Target and all of Dawley farm. Did I also mention it is a major feeder to all of the development to the East including the city of Brandon? If you think 85th and Minnesota will be worse in terms of traffic I think you might be disconnected from reality.
Funny how we don’t hear of massive traffic issues over there isn’t it? You can talk about additional access points in the future, but I’m talking reality as in what is happening now. I’ll concede a Menards doesn’t get as many passenger vehicles in and out as a Walmart, but they get many more large trucks and trailers – and yet a single lighted intersection manages them all even when blended with numerous other big box stores. Simply amazing!
If we are going to talk about future access points, isn’t it also fair to acknowledge after development moves South from Walmart there will be more access points there too? You are the guy trying to claim the “access” points to Batteries Plus and Chilis count for the West side Walmart, so if we are fair I’m sure the proposed Walmart will have many more access points as well. Might even get a sweet access point to a Radio Shack or an Applebees! There will likely also be an access point that heads out to the West and connects over to Western, but even at day one the access will still be improved upon the existing West side Walmart and no worse than half a dozen other existing big box stores.
I am glad to see you have moved on from claiming some rules were broken though. See – that wasn’t so hard was it?
“Which is why I said there were stick built homes EAST of Menards. You know…directly across the street?” Across SD100, about 1/4 of a mile away. On top of the distance issue, I understand the property has bee for sale for a premium. Cash in while the cashing is good.
Craig, I respect you on so many items but in your arguments above, you just choose to argue and not even look at what the discussion is about.
You may have a few dreams of what the system is and does, but until you realize the system is broken it can never be fixed.
“Across SD100, about 1/4 of a mile away. ”
I think your measuring stick might be off by about 300%. You might want to drive out there and look for yourself or just pull up Google maps. Those homes are significantly closer to Menards than any single family home would be to the proposed 85th & Minn. Walmart. That’s a fact.
It seems you have the same argument as Testor does… you claim the “system is broken” or that “rules are being broken” but that is merely your interpretation. I don’t think anything is broken and even if it were I’m not pessimistic enough to suggest it could never be fixed. If that is your belief what incentive is there to get out of bed in the morning?