Comments on: Costco At Oakland Army Base? Probably Not http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/ Words from a Non-Leftist Sat, 04 Sep 2010 02:57:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: David http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2281 David Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:29:23 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2281 Oh, and the weather's better. Oh, and the weather’s better.

]]> By: David http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2280 David Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:28:28 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2280 Did I mention our housing & property taxes are cheaper too? Did I mention our housing & property taxes are cheaper too?

]]> By: David http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2279 David Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:28:11 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2279 Just move to San Leandro like I did. You never have to leave town. Wal-Mart, Costco, home depot, Bay Fair Mall, the outlet stores, I got my Ace Hardware hole-in-the-wall in walking distance (Dutton & Bancroft), got soul food, Mexican food and Chinese all in walking distance. Transbay bus & bart. All we have to do is keep East Oakland at bay and work to keep the idiotic ghetto builders (Transit Oriented Development morons) at bay. I would like a bit more "boutique-y" stuff, but heck, it's a 10 minute drive to Oakland, Alameda and 15 minutes to Berkeley for the non-mass market stuff. Just move to San Leandro like I did. You never have to leave town. Wal-Mart, Costco, home depot, Bay Fair Mall, the outlet stores, I got my Ace Hardware hole-in-the-wall in walking distance (Dutton & Bancroft), got soul food, Mexican food and Chinese all in walking distance. Transbay bus & bart. All we have to do is keep East Oakland at bay and work to keep the idiotic ghetto builders (Transit Oriented Development morons) at bay.

I would like a bit more “boutique-y” stuff, but heck, it’s a 10 minute drive to Oakland, Alameda and 15 minutes to Berkeley for the non-mass market stuff.

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2269 V Smoothe Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:54:12 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2269 Well, there's two reasons. First, if the recyclers were to move outside the City (and there's nowhere else within the City that can accommodate them), we'd be facing a significant loss in revenue. Second, we are under obligation from the California Air Resources Board as well as a number of relatively recently enacted State laws to take measures to reduce Port-related pollution, and moving the producers of the Port's primary export farther away will create increased truck traffic, possibly resulting in expensive punitive action from the State. Well, there’s two reasons. First, if the recyclers were to move outside the City (and there’s nowhere else within the City that can accommodate them), we’d be facing a significant loss in revenue. Second, we are under obligation from the California Air Resources Board as well as a number of relatively recently enacted State laws to take measures to reduce Port-related pollution, and moving the producers of the Port’s primary export farther away will create increased truck traffic, possibly resulting in expensive punitive action from the State.

]]> By: TheBoss http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2260 TheBoss Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:20:25 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2260 I still don't see any reason why metal recycling needs to happen in a certain location. The metal comes in and it goes out to the port. That doesn't mean the intermediate storage site has to be right next to the port. It could be elsewhere. Incidentally, Hegenberger is essentially where the existing San Leandro Costco already is located. The problem is you have this large set of potential shoppers along the 24 corridor with zero available shopping nearby in Oakland. If the Army Base site is so horrible for retail, I wonder why Costco is interested at all. They have a pretty good track record. I still don’t see any reason why metal recycling needs to happen in a certain location. The metal comes in and it goes out to the port. That doesn’t mean the intermediate storage site has to be right next to the port. It could be elsewhere.

Incidentally, Hegenberger is essentially where the existing San Leandro Costco already is located. The problem is you have this large set of potential shoppers along the 24 corridor with zero available shopping nearby in Oakland.

If the Army Base site is so horrible for retail, I wonder why Costco is interested at all. They have a pretty good track record.

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2259 V Smoothe Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:55:45 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2259 Because they're an extremely lucrative industry for the City and the Port. Scrap metal is the Port of Oakland's primary export. Because they’re an extremely lucrative industry for the City and the Port. Scrap metal is the Port of Oakland’s primary export.

]]> By: TheBoss http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2258 TheBoss Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:31:23 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2258 Why not just get rid of the metal recyclers completely? Why not just get rid of the metal recyclers completely?

]]> By: V Smoothe http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2256 V Smoothe Sun, 01 Feb 2009 07:28:54 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2256 I would say that NOT choosing the retail option for the Army Base is a better way to promote gentrification, Boss. If we use the out of the way land to relocate metal recyclers that are currently magnets for crime and blight in West Oakland, those neighborhoods will gentrify much faster. Costco can go out by Hegenberger, where we're trying to attract big box retail. But the metal recyclers can't really fit anywhere else, and they're keeping property values low. I would say that NOT choosing the retail option for the Army Base is a better way to promote gentrification, Boss. If we use the out of the way land to relocate metal recyclers that are currently magnets for crime and blight in West Oakland, those neighborhoods will gentrify much faster. Costco can go out by Hegenberger, where we’re trying to attract big box retail. But the metal recyclers can’t really fit anywhere else, and they’re keeping property values low.

]]> By: TheBoss http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2254 TheBoss Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:57:42 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2254 Actually, what I said was somewhat inaccurate. The city government does promote policies which promote gentrification -- regressive parcel taxes, for example. But they don't have gentrification as a goal. It's just that the people in government are too stupid to understand that that is the inevitable outcome of such policies. Thankfully, Oakland's leaders are so stupid that the unintended consequences of their policies outweigh the intended ones and produce gentrification. Actually, what I said was somewhat inaccurate. The city government does promote policies which promote gentrification — regressive parcel taxes, for example.

But they don’t have gentrification as a goal. It’s just that the people in government are too stupid to understand that that is the inevitable outcome of such policies.

Thankfully, Oakland’s leaders are so stupid that the unintended consequences of their policies outweigh the intended ones and produce gentrification.

]]> By: TheBoss http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/comment-page-1/#comment-2253 TheBoss Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:53:39 +0000 http://www.eastbayconservative.com/2009/01/27/costco-at-oakland-army-base-probably-not/#comment-2253 Fair enough, but let's put our cards on the table. Oakland's planning department has a history of making decisions with the sole purpose of keeping the city full of poor people and making life inconvenient for the middle class and above. If this site is bad, how about at least acknowledging the problem and trading it for reasonable retail land along the Broadway corridor? Also, have you looked at the site of the Richmond Costco? It's not much better. All you need is decent freeway access and a big parking lot. Fair enough, but let’s put our cards on the table. Oakland’s planning department has a history of making decisions with the sole purpose of keeping the city full of poor people and making life inconvenient for the middle class and above.

If this site is bad, how about at least acknowledging the problem and trading it for reasonable retail land along the Broadway corridor?

Also, have you looked at the site of the Richmond Costco? It’s not much better. All you need is decent freeway access and a big parking lot.

]]>