I just got word from someone close to the project/SON neighborhood that WM may have pulled their building permit due to a National review of sales and restructuring of the company.
If it is true, I want to congratulate the SON neighborhood for winning their fight!!
UPDATE 1: Just got word that this is still a rumor and city hall is not confirming or denying at this point. It may be a ‘game’ WM is playing to circumvent some zoning changes.
UPDATE 2: Now Walmart is claiming things are ‘On Hold‘.
Well, that rocks!
The new Walfart at Marion & I-90 has more employees than customers. Sioux Falls doesn’t need 4 Walfarts. SON saved their neighborhood and Walfart from themselves.
If they are postponing, why would they cancel the building permit? They would just have to start over and that takes $. Unless, of course, they are going to choose another location.
Post number two is spot on. Whoever did Walmarts initial market analysis gets a gigantic fail.
I am hoping Wally World won’t build down south but I fear it will happen. I suspect it may likely be bit smaller, not a super center, more the size of what it used to be a couple decades ago. I read somewhere a while ago that Wally was talking about planning to scale back a bit and shift some of their focus more to online sales.
How about a Trader Joes instead.
Walmarts (and other big box stores, in general) are short-term winners and long-term losers for cities. They provide a big infusion of tax base early on, but they age poorly and saddle communities with long-term infrastructure maintenance obligations.
Good news!
Dan D & Poly — so right!
The shut down/re-building of SD 19 has had a big impact on N side Walmart – IMO.
As to who’s playing games…….
Mirror.
Well, there’s not much to do during winter and they’ve waited this long so what’s another six months?
But I do wonder if there’s a connection between them waiting a bit and this talk that has emerged about finally getting some movement on an interchange at I-29 and 85th? Sure, it’d mean Walmart waiting another 4-5 years, but I’m guessing to them they’d rather get the long-term location right than rush to get something put up.
Future growth of SF population center is to the South and EAST, which SD 100 will service – NOT toward the 85th/29 area.
Walmart won’t build there because they sold out to a company that wants to build a nice, galleria shopping center in the same place to placate the rich folks who live in the area.