Wednesday, October 22, 2008

More Progress in re the Ogden Walmart Project

Gadi Leshem transfers 16 acres

Ace Reporter Schwebke reports this morning on the latest development in Ogden City's heretofore languishing Wal-Mart Superstore project. The opening paragraphs provide the gist:
OGDEN — Wal-Mart finalized its purchase Tuesday of 16 acres from developer Gadi Leshem, paving the way for the construction of a super-center store downtown, says Mayor Matthew Godfrey.
Leshem and officials with Wal-Mart could not be reached for comment regarding how much it paid for the land at the northwest corner of 20th Street and Wall Avenue.
The sale culminates more than a year of work by Leshem to assemble several parcels for the Wal-Mart project, Godfrey said.
Whether this latest transaction fully assembles all the parcels necessary for the project, Mr. Schwebke doesn't explicitly tell us.

The last time we looked at the situation, at least four target parcels remained in limbo.

Perhaps one of our well-connected sources can explain the meaning of all this.

Are the required Wal-Mart parcels now fully-assembled... or not?

32 comments:

Anonymous said...

I still can't believe that Ogden is getting a Walmart. It is truly embarrassing!!!

Joe the Skier says;
The first thing I do when I hit a killer ski town like Whistler or Vail is look around for the local Walmart. I usually leave if I can't find one.

I don't like to be forced to shop at all those expensive little Mom and Pop shops. I like freedom Damnit!!!

Anonymous said...

We can't wait to visit Ogden, and shop at your new WalMart

Anonymous said...

Ah.. guys... Park City, known hangout of the glitterati, has a Wal-Mart. I doubt Paris Hilton shops there when she's in town, but the town's residents do.

There is nothing particularly inconsistent about the Administration and Council working to get a Wal-Mart in Ogden while at the same time trying to make the City a destination for up-scale outdoors "adventurers" --- i.e. tourists. A well-run city ought to be looking to encourage attractions, conveniences, recreation, and shopping for all elements and all income levels of its population.

Anonymous said...

I can already see the housing/condo development for the River Project adjacent to a Wal-mart.

No big bucks will buy a condo there.

Pathetic-
what a vision I get when I say to a Salt Laker "Ride TRAX and walk a couple of blocks to discover what Wal-mart sells" -

This is typical of Mayor Godfrey's inability to think.

Anonymous said...

There is already a Walmart 20 blocks North and another 20 blocks south of this location.

Wall to wall Walmarts!

Anonymous said...

Since the solitary source in the Gondola-Examiner story is Lying Little Matty Gondola Godfrey -- neither evil minions from the evil Wal-Mart corporation nor the West-bank refugee from California who pals around with queeny "producers" of Bizazz Media's laughably corny promo CDs will comment -- it's best not to start counting onions before they're planted. I know that the ham-averse felony tax fraudster Leshem has not purchased at least one key parcel (although the evil Wal-Mart shysters may be dealing directly with this businessman), and the godawful Gadi might face or is in litigation with that property owner, who describes Lying Little Matty, Leshem and his so-called A-Team of A-Holes in terms of extreme repugnance, dishonesty and disgrace. It is not known, however, if the evil torch-bearers for the evil Wal-Mart cabal based their development on being "just three blocks from proposed THE GONDOLA!"

THE SKI IS BEAUTIFUL BLUE

Anonymous said...

It's not a done deal yet. I wonder who's gonna secure the remaining parcels needed? Wallmart, gadi or our new leader of the gondola developement dept, Waterfall.
gadi probably has been dying to unload some of this for a little cash, it's now time to spend it cleaning up his previous mess, so the neighbors will quit torching it.
Now that lying little matty is one step closer to keeping up with his small hometown of Harrisville, possibly both having competing Walmarts, he can get back to his devine calling of building a silly urban gondola. Without this gondola these non historicly inclined, underfunded wanna be developers have nothing unique to market to their foreign fools with more American dollars than Americans have.
Wallmart will add more high adventure variety to the mix and I suggest that Waterfall offer a large subsity to the Northern exposure to keep them there. We all know foreigners enjoy nothing more than titties and beer, plus the girls at the club have alot higher incomes than what Wallmart is paying. Harmer Brown, potato nose and lying little matty have all pontificated on the need for having a more affluent population.

Anonymous said...

"ham-averse"?

Sad, Jason, even for you.

RudiZink said...

"Sad, Jason, even for you."

Come now Curmudgeon... Don't be such a fuddy-duddy.

Remember yer a kid from Brooklyn.

hehehe.

Anonymous said...

Curm, Jason must not have heard the rumor reguarding gadi's foreign developement credentials. It was overheard at a lift ogden gondola rally. potato nose told g-train ( a very typical looking Wallmart patron) that gadi built and opened the first Honey Baked Ham franchise in Israel. "This guy is a brilliant marketer" he concluded.

Anonymous said...

I have never grasped how a downtown Wal-Mart fits into the image Ogden alleges it wants to project -- nostalgia? high-adventure? Gucci & Prada? -- regardless of whether the Smart Growth or Lift Ogden folks do the projecting. If you ever see me darkening its doors, please shoot me.

Maybe our caffeine-averse little mayor can become this Wal-Mart's genial greeter-in-chief should the good saints of Ogden ever see fit to bounce him from the ninth floor.

Anonymous said...

Actually, this is long overdue for the folks who live in this part of Ogden. Inner-Ogden meets the classic definition of a food desert. While it might not do much for the needs of the high adventure crowd, it certainly has to be viewed as a plus for many of the economically impacted citizens that live in this area.

Anonymous said...

Old Tired:

Do you know, for sure, that the Wal-Mart planned for downtown Ogden will include a grocery-store? Not all Wal-Marts do. You're right that downtown needs some kind of general food store if it's to become the kind of New Urbanism residential area that the planners hope it will. I just haven't seen anything, or at least I don't recall seeing anything, on whether this particular store will have a Wal-Mart supermarket as part of its retail mix

Anonymous said...

Dear idiot everse Mr. Curmudgeon -

I thought the line "ham-averse" was hilarious! In fact Jason's whole ramble was pretty funny to this coffee averse MoMo.

Maybe you have become "humor averse" in your ever so serious old age?

Anonymous said...

ozboy:

Not at all. But as we both know, not everyone finds the same things amusing. And you probably also know that I'm not real big for bringing extraneous matters into arguments. "Ham-averse" seemed to me to do exactly that. And shouldn't have.

Probably, Oz, there are lots of things that would put me on the floor laughing that you wouldn't so much as chuckle at. Diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks, as they say. That's all.

Anonymous said...

For some good news:

"Ogden lands big triathlon event"

http://www.sltrib.com/business/ci_10780584

Anonymous said...

To Curm: A Super Wal-Mart always has a grocery store.What I think would be more suitable to downtown and to adjacent residents of downtown, and perhaps more acceptable to downtown merchants, might be a Wal-Mart market, which as I understand, is primarily a grocery store and a pharmacy. I think a lot depends on the residents that the mayor and the Wal-Mart owners are hoping to have shop there. Inner city, definitely a Super Wal-Mart...owners of downtown condos, well a grocery mart might be more suitable. In any case, I am not a fan of big box stores as they frequently take up space for a time and then leave for various reasons leaving their boxy buildings abandoned until the city finds some other use for them or not. They can be a blight on the landscape and sometimes do doom the businesses that are built around or near them when they leave for a better location.

I would truly like to see some effort by the city government to sponsor and support locally owned businesses that would add to the unique atmosphere that is downtown Ogden...dare I suggest an independent bookstore? Any backers out there?

OgdenLover said...

Do they know we don't have a gondola yet?

Anonymous said...

OR:

Thanks. I wasn't aware that the new store was to be a Super Walmart as opposed to a regular Walmart. Appreciate the info.

Anonymous said...

Ogden Resident...
are you referring to big boxes like sams club on Wall Ave. and Fred Meyer on 12th?

Exactly, but Godfrey can only see the quick sales tax revenue, so he can piss it away on his Gondola.

Anonymous said...

Ogden Resident,

You wrote " I would truly like to see some effort by the city government to sponsor and support locally owned businesses that would add to the unique atmosphere that is downtown Ogden...dare I suggest an independent bookstore? Any backers out there?"

Where were you when the city had the Ogden Retail Challenge contest?

Anonymous said...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: A Wal-Mart would have looked splendid right about where that obnoxious LarryMcMiller neon marquee.

But no.. we had to have a velodrome. Now if we can just get a gondola, we can hi a ride on it to Kolob.

Anonymous said...

Og Resident:

You wrote: dare I suggest an independent bookstore? Any backers out there?

That is exactly the sort of thing Historic 25th Street needs. Something long the lines of The King's English, with room for signings, smallish author talks, etc. ---events that would bring people downtown outside of merely to eat. A place to wander to, browse around down the street after eating. Put some foot traffic on the street.

I know it was looked into at one point a few years ago, but the research indicated there was not nearly enough walking traffic on the street to sustain an urban bookstore. Not yet any way.

Kind of a Catch 22 really. An indy bookstore, perhaps with some specialty focus [the West maybe?], would if successful generate pedestrian traffic on the street, but there needs to be more pedestrian traffic on the street first to justify the investment involved in opening an indy bookstore in this age of Amazon.com.

These are, betides, not good times for opening a business selling what most folk would consider non-essentials. Even those of us who don't consider books non-essentials are cutting back. Sinking 401Ks doth make library users of us all....

But it is a grand idea. Maybe when I win the lottery. My dream retirement business has always been a combination bookstore and brewpub: "Book 'n Brew."

Anonymous said...

Wal-mart's arrival spells the end of small family owned stores or shops in Ogden.

It will put Stop and Shop out of business.

Look at the hundreds of smaller towns that got a Wal-mart in the past 20 years , the local stores that were forced to close.

Anonymous said...

I will continue to shop at my local grocer, Stop and Shop. They have been around for many years, and with out any incentives or help from the taxpayers.

I just cant force myself to shop at Wal-Mart, for some reason when I have gone into their stores, I feel like a cheap whore, supporting the blood suckers that take from the taxpayers, then leave town.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Curmudgeon

Alas, a bookstore in Ogden is a loser idea any way you cut it.

Nobody around here reads books anymore. In fact the last three people that did caught the last train out of town a few years ago.

I would suggest you slightly modify your "dream" business to a whore house and bar. You could call it Broads N Brew, it would fit right in with two bit street's history and you would make a grundle of money to boot!

I say let's take twenty fifth street back to what made it great to begin with, hell man you could be a regular renaissance man in Ogden's history. The dude from Loosieaner that brought broads and booze back to two bit street.

Anonymous said...

Oz:

Well, I did suggest here a few times over the last two years that turning one of lower 25th Street's "Historic" bordellos into a B and B might be a good idea. Run tours, rent the rooms out to touristas and locals for that "special" evening. Such historic former bordello B and Bs have been successful in other places. And it certainly would fit the history of the street.

People still read books, Oz. The King's English happily sits in amid a kind of faculty and professional enclave up there, with a vibrant mini-commercial block bringing in people as well. A downtown bookstore would not sit amid lots of residential customers, alas, though if all those promised condo developments ever actally get built and occupied, that might change. But that seems, now, a long time off.

I thought a combination laundromat and beer bar might work, though. Call it "Suds & Duds." Hell, people have to do something while they're waiting out the dryer cycle. Might as well browse....

Anonymous said...

Mr. Curmudgeon

The last true Ogdenite who actually read a book was "railroaded" out of town just before ex-mayor Goff proposed the great train wreck. I think his name was Scowcroft, and he went on to become a member of the Bushies inner circle. He was accepted into that group incidentally because of his rare record of actually having read a book. The Bushies needed a token book reader for publicity purposes I suppose.

The poor woman who owns the "Kings English" book store in SLC that you refer to is constantly on the verge of going bust. The seven people in Salt Lake that still read books are not able to keep her profitable on a regular basis.

As far as doing a B&B on two bit in a former bordello - well once again my friend you are showing your entrepreneurial short comings. Nothing short of a full on cat house with booze will live up to the long time tradition of 25th Street. We don't need no namby pamby fake whore house. No siree bob, we need the real thing where you don't have to bring your own broads so you can make believe. I mean that would be like opening a saloon where you had to bring your own beer!

What I am proposing here for a real renaissance is a full on "Curmudgeon's whore house, casino and booze parlor" Nothing short of that is going to turn the street around.

It's up to you my friend, Ogden's future lies in your hands.

Anonymous said...

Oz:

You wrote: The last true Ogdenite who actually read a book... I think his name was Scowcroft, and he went on to become a member of the Bushies inner circle... because of his rare record of actually having read a book.

Well, ok, but I didn't think Pat The Bunny counted.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Curmudgeon

Hey, in the world of Bush any book counts that has three more words in the text than in the title. Besides, it wasn't "Pat The Bunny" anyway, it was "The little engine that could", and don't get so smug, reading that book took our home town boy all the way to National Security Advisor! So if you're from Ogden and you want to succeed in the bigger world, pick up a book and read it. In today's world that is what makes the difference between being Mayor and being National Security Advisor!

Anonymous said...

The one cool thing about Ogden is that it DOESN'T have a Wal-Mart. Way to reck our downtown area!

AWM said...

Haven't been inside a Super W-Mart since 2006. Wonder if that makes me W-mart averse.

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