Opposition to Whole Foods

There's a wholly legitimate argument against eminent domain. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with this discussion.

And, how exactly would stopping the construction of a Whole Foods be a "victory" for the little guy? This store would bring over 300 jobs to the "little guy" who is looking for work.

 

The victory would be the little guy who does not have to deal with construction vehicles for a year. And maybe people actually not like box stores down the street. Maybe that is why they live where they live.

 

This is the biggest issue to me. And, it will go unrealized when people study the lack of job growth in New York City. How many jobs will go "un-created" because companies don't want to spend the time, money, and effort jumping through hoops.

You can't look at this as just a Whole Foods problem at this one site.

Yes. Do you have any idea how many people from Staten Island do the majority of their shopping in New jersey? Or how many people cross over from Queens into Nassau county?

The same thing happens here with people leaving Chicago to shop at Walmarts that ring the City.

If you want to keep the spending local, and create jobs, you need to allow development.

There's nothing inherently evil about a big box store.

 

I'm begging you, look at the picture I linked to. It's an industrial area. It's next to a Superfund site and the formerly most polluted body of water in the United States.

They're not trying to build it in the residential section of Mayberry.

 

Yeah, clearly no one will ever want to put a business in New York City. I mean, does anyone even live there?

 

But there is something inherently evil about Wal-mart. And granting a variance to Whole Foods weakens the legal opposition to Wal-mart when it sets its sights on a vacant lot somewhere else in the city.

 

It still has enough people living in it to have a zoning board and existing regulations, right?

 

Why are you begging me?

The people do not want it there. If they did, they would make their elected officials aware.

Maybe there are 3-4 local grocers that they really like and would rather shop there rather than seeing the local grocers close shop because of business lost to Whole Foods.

 

"Trust business?" Goodness, that sounds familiar.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/feb/22/david-cameron-condemns-anti-business-snobbery
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/feb/27/britain-rebuilt-in-aid-corporate-power

 

Cut the cards.

 

If the community wants to block this project, that's fine. But don't then ask me to fund the unemployment benefits for those who will remain out of work as a result.

That's my problem with this kind of situation: self-interested environmentalism with the costs spread to everyone else.

 

Whole Foods are the ones requesting a waiver. Your beef -- to the extent you have one, which is minimal, at best -- is with them.