Opposition to Whole Foods

[YankeeFan]

Whole Foods buys a site in Brooklyn hard on a Superfund site and the infamous Gowanus Canal (which in the past may have been the smelliest, most polluted body of water in America). They clean the site of toxic waste. They plan to create 350 jobs (262 full time). And as in their other stores, they plan to sell local products. It will be a "Green" building that, "will sell fruits and vegetables grown in a 20,000-square-foot rooftop greenhouse, and will have a charging station for electric cars."

But, of course, people who have not made an investment in the property have better plans: a park, a complex for small businesses and job training, etc.

And, because Whole Foods needs a zoning waiver, eight years have passed since the site was purchased.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/28/nyregion/whole-foods-faces-decisive-vote-in-brooklyn.html

The Times recently published this article about the German economy:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/business/global/in-germany-a-limp-domestic-economy-stifled-by-regulation.html

The headline: In Germany, a Limp Domestic Economy Stifled by Regulation

I guess the same guy didn't write the Whole Foods headline.

We are strangling our own economy. Time to set it free.

 

[trifectarich]

I venture into the Whole Foods that moved into the area a few years ago only rarely, but it is a good neighbor and I'm glad it's there.

 

[LongTimeListener]

 

[YankeeFan]

Love it -- even the Stumptown Coffee reference. And, not to threadjack my own thread, but has anyone seen Portlandia? Sounds hysterical, but haven't had a chance to see it.

Heard some theme song from it on NPR and it nearly made me pee my pants.

 

[Azrael]

Not sure how this is an example of 'strangling our own economy.'

 

[YankeeFan]

Not sure how this is an example of 'strangling our own economy.'

Who else is going to invest in a neighborhood like this when they witness Whole Foods struggle for eight years to build a store?

It's not worth it.

And, when Whole Foods, and other companies, decide to focus their growth in foreign markets, the same people who opposed their development will accuse them of abandoning America.

 

[Azrael]

It's not simply a regulatory struggle, or a fight with knucklehead government, which is what your post implies.

 

[Big Circus]

YF, I've only seen a few episodes of Portlandia, but I liked them a lot. If you laughed at that graphic, you'll like the show. Watch away.

 

[YankeeFan]

It's not simply a regulatory struggle, or a fight with knucklehead government, which is what your post implies.

It's NIMBYism, and it's just as stifling as regulation, and they use regulation as a weapon.

You want a park, buy the land, or lobby your government to purchase the land and build a park.

The only reason these regulations even exist is to allow government and community groups to wrangle concessions out of private developers/companies.

This is private property. Whole Foods has invested millions of dollars to purchase and clean the site. They will spend millions more to develop the site, if allowed. And they will employ hundreds of community residents, and support community businesses.

Why should the opinion of a few hippies hold any sway?

This site was polluted. It's not like Whole Foods is preventing the construction of a park or community center. Those projects were not on the drawing board. It's either a beautiful grocery store, or a dump.

And, some people would prefer a dump, and they're being listened to.

Meanwhile, jobs go to waste.

 

[Azrael]

The 'hippies' proposed an alternative that includes a smaller Whole Foods - and creates more jobs. Neighborhoods still get to argue on their own behalf, don't they?

http://www.gowanusmade.org

Also, as another embedded link points out, WF may have dragged its feet for a while cause it was losing money.

www.nysun.com/arts/gowanus-where-irony-meets-hope/84295/

 

[dooley_womack1]

There is no absolute right to do whatever you want with your land, except, apparently, the right of Wal-Mart to leave their abandoned stores as they are.

 

[Brian]

Love it -- even the Stumptown Coffee reference. And, not to threadjack my own thread, but has anyone seen Portlandia? Sounds hysterical, but haven't had a chance to see it.

Heard some theme song from it on NPR and it nearly made me pee my pants.

I really like the show, but I've only seen season one. Just like he is in SNL, Fred Armisen can be overbearing at times. But when they nail it, it's hilarious.

And you may be thinking about this song:

 

[Mystery Meat II]

YF, I've only seen a few episodes of Portlandia, but I liked them a lot. If you laughed at that graphic, you'll like the show. Watch away.

And Richmond is Portland on training wheels with Confederate trading cards in the spokes

 

[J-School Blue]

I never cared for Fred Armisen on SNL, but I like him on 'Portlandia' well enough. Supposedly he's a very good comedy writer, which has probably helped him sustain at SNL despite being kind of a meh performer.

 

[YankeeFan]

The 'hippies' proposed an alternative that includes a smaller Whole Foods - and creates more jobs. Neighborhoods still get to argue on their own behalf, don't they?

http://www.gowanusmade.org

Also, as another embedded link points out, WF may have dragged its feet for a while cause it was losing money.

www.nysun.com/arts/gowanus-where-irony-meets-hope/84295/

And, what happens when the "10,000-square-foot Whole Foods store that would sell only local products" loses money and goes out of business?

Who's going to go to that store?

It's also not the business Whole Foods is in. It would be like telling McDonalds they could open up a location, as long as they didn't sell meat.

Whole Foods has a business plan that works. They're not going to alter it to satisfy a bunch NIMBY neighbors.

Whole Foods knows how to be a good neighbor. It's already a part of their plan.

The proposals of these community groups will never fly. They won't make money. They aren't sustainable.

 

[dreunc1542]

YF, here's an example of the types of sketches they do on Portlandia: . They have some really funny ones.

 

[Brian]

I also loved that Steve Buschemi appeared on the show and was the most normal person in the skit.

 

[dreunc1542]

I also loved that Steve Buschemi appeared on the show and was the most normal person in the skit.

Yeah, this is fantastic: .

 

[Azrael]

Clearly then Whole Foods - who wants a zoning variance because their plan calls for a store five times the size allowed in that neighborhood - hasn't made a completely convincing counterargument. And no one held a gun to their head and said build your next store adjacent to a Superfund site.

As you know, development in NYC moves very, very slowly. I suppose some of that can be laid off to regulation, but mostly its a function of local politics and graft.

How is it, for example, that parts of SPURA have gone undeveloped . . . since 1965?

wikipedia.org/wiki/Seward_Park_Urban_Renewal_Area

 

[YankeeFan]

Clearly then Whole Foods - who wants a zoning variance because their plan calls for a store five times the size allowed in that neighborhood - hasn't made a completely convincing counterargument. And no one held a gun to their head and said build your next store adjacent to a Superfund site.

As you know, development in NYC moves very, very slowly. I suppose some of that can be laid off to regulation, but mostly its a function of local politics and graft.

How is it, for example, that parts of SPURA have gone undeveloped . . . since 1965?

wikipedia.org/wiki/Seward_Park_Urban_Renewal_Area

What is the government's interest in limiting the size of a store?

And, I'm happy to concede that politics and graft are a part of the equation. But, as I said, they use regulations, and their ability to waive them, to generate graft.

Sites have gone undeveloped since 1965. Whole Foods wants to develop a site, and can't -- or at least hasn't been able to yet.

These 262 jobs should have already existed for a couple of years. A couple of hundred construction jobs should have already come and gone.

Additional businesses -- and jobs -- would have likely been drawn to the area by Whole Foods.

These jobs are held hostage by government regulations and community group NIMBYism.

This kind of thing has a stifling effect on potential business and job growth.