Pickerington Area Taxpayers Alliance

What Big Box?

I can't tell if the opposition is to Walmart moving in or to ANY big box store that might move in. Some of the bashing is anti-Walmart in particular and some is anti any big box store. Makes me wonder if some residents would be more agreeable if a store they favored was to move to that location.

Who should make road and property improvements? I don't know what is common practice, but I'd think that if a developer wanted it badly enough, they'd make the improvements. Not widening Refugee Rd. all the way to 256, of course. I'd be interested in hearing if Walmarts or whoevers typically pay the additional costs for public road improvements necessary to support their projects.

Dear Nobody....

Wal-Mart may leave behind empty buildings - that could be a potential risk. However, Kroger DID leave an abandoned building at 256 and Refugee than sat empty for years. Kroger's HAD no problem doing that in Pickerington already a proven fact.

Kroger relocated to an area that was TIF'd. Again letting the schools pay for their development on 256. This location May according to the Kroger union workers.....not according to their attorney. I asked a bunch of young kids that had just come from work where they lived & you could have heard a pin drop - NOT in Pickerington - why are they so concerned?

Did we really need the third Kroger there on Refugee Rd.? Even though that location wasn't TIF'd? What makes that development right & the Wal-Mart development wrong?

I think people are reacting to size. I guess I'd like to hear them stand up and say they don't mind the taxes living in an area with a 13% tax base - that they are happy to fund the schools. Funny I've been at all the meetings & haven't heard that once.

By Giant Eagle fan...

Giant Eagle fan also

It's not about the size of the bldg or the retailer, even though I hate Wal-Mart. It's about the location - that area is an extremely poor location for any large retailer.

How many times have you been in the Refugee Kroger and a. ran into more than 1 person in the same aisle as you, b. had to wait more than 2 minutes in either of the BOTH checkouts that were open? I would imagine the Wendy's out front generates more traffic than that Krogers does.

I think it was a poor location to put the Krogers also but since the trustees about wet themselves with joy of getting something commercial in the township and without a TIF (since townships can't TIF) I guess it's all worth it.

With the attitude of the voters in Pickerington I doubt we'd pass a school levy if we had the commercial base that equaled Dublin.

Lack of commercial is merely a convenient scapegoat for voters.