The Way I See It!

Is a 100,000 sq ft or larger zoning ordinance coming to Cudahy? Part 5

Posted by Randy Hollenbeck on July 26, 2009

Cudahy, Development, Wal-Mart

July 23 Chicago's mayor reverses his stance on Walmart, saying the city needs the jobs.

Jay Weber’s Podcast talking about Mayor McCue and Wal-Mart

Podcast Click Here

I am not insinuating or implying the study is being done wrong or less truthful, I worry about the spin after the study.

One must be careful of correlation and causation when drawing conclusions.  One must know the difference!

For data to mean something, you must know exactly what it is being done for and the rules must be ridge not flexible.

The Rumsfeldian Doctrine: the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence

In addition, flaws in Survey data may likely be susceptible to distortion, considerably the consultants' analysis.  These conceptual and implementation flaws in the typical consultants' analysis are especially troubling because they appear to be entirely invisible to the policymakers charged with writing the guidelines.

A fish does not know it is wet, no frame of reference

That is why data alone tells us very little.

Watch out for, “I can't give you definitive answers.  I can give you my philosophy though.”

You cannot make a company come to Cudahy, they must be interested.  There has to be a value to them to come.  Just because numbers add up will not be enough.

Again, what is the definition of retail?

Some see the retail as this –

Retail Sectors

"Each sector of the retail industry has its own special needs and faces its own obstacles.  Whether you're selling appliances or cosmetics, you'll find the right solution with Columbus IT.” -- Kim Guldager, Key Retail Acount Manager, Columbus IT Denmark.

Specialty retail

Health and personal care

Motor vehicle and parts dealers

Convenience/gas

Food and beverage

Food service

General merchandise

If you go by the stock market retail doesn’t included fast food at all http://money.cnn.com/data/sectors/Retail/

Retail Marketing Analyst - This list is not and should not be used to as a vetting process.  If it is, that means the city is controlling and manipulating the players, pulling the strings…. 

It is a guide to help persuade businesses to come to Cudahy, not to exclude them from coming.  That sounds like protectionism to me.  It would appear that not only does the number one retail business in the world (Wal-Mart) not stand a chance, will Cudahy officials armed with the data shoot down the little engine that could because the numbers don’t add up?  What if the numbers are wrong?

“The analysis will help the Department of Economic Development determine what types of new businesses best fit Cudahy’s commercial districts and stand the best chance for economic survival.”

Question – Should the city be deciding who and what is being built in Cudahy?  Is this not pre-selecting the players?  This path can easily lead down a path of corruptions or favoritisms.  This type of behavior can lead to lawsuits for discriminations.  Don’t all businesses going into a new project to do the best they can and survive?  If you want to see more business survive, lower Cudahy’s taxes and work harder on lowering the crime!

Who is doing the study? 

“The seven-member Community Development Authority (CDA) recently selected Basile Baumann Prost Cole & Associates, Inc. (BBPC Associates), an economics and real estate development advisory firm based in Maryland and California, to conduct the retail market analysis.”  Does it matter they are not local and know the ends and outs of the area?  Have they any experience in the state of Wisconsin? 

I hope to hear someone say, “I am positive that every aspect of what we do has to be rethought and analyzed and then questioned!  We need to listen to the questions, ideas and the concerns of the people who matter the most!”

“The successful revitalization of Cudahy’s business districts depend on a better understanding of how residents and visitors spend their money in Cudahy,” said Mayor Ryan McCue.

Question – How does the study check visitors to Cudahy?

In the end when musical chairs stop with our surrounding communities over retail expansion, I think Cudahy will not be sitting on a chair.

I hope the reason for the retail study was not to squash the talk of a Wal-Mart in Cudahy.  I pray this study is not a self-serving one and someone is pulling strings.  I do hope it is all on the up and up.

I question that this might not be the most correct study that needs to be done, which is why I fear it is being done to exclude companies.

Lisa Nelson of Wal-Mart has stated many times that Wal-Mart only shares that information (leakage) with the developer.  You can ask Mayor McCue or the CC because they have asked for the info.

Mrs. Nelson has stated the information is private, classified, trade secrets and proprietary.

I would be suspect of data of that nature freely giving to consultants.  Why would Wal-Mart share it only to have the leakage fall into the hands of a competitor like Shopco?

That doesn’t pass the common sense smell test.  If Wal-Mart did give it, would it be actuate?  Would those be the real numbers or something far less so a competitor doesn’t place a store in a location close as a defensive measure?

Will it be unbiased?  That is the question!  Is there an agenda?  How can on preliminary results of just some leakage numbers can the conclusion be reach and vocalized that Cudahy cannot support a Wal-Mart?  Does that sound unbiased?  Not to me!  Screams of an agenda and brings pause that it might be manipulation, or at least someone pull strings.

A lie told often enough becomes the truth.

- Lenin

Just as a sample of two days, DOES NOT make a statement, true for the whole.  It is what it is a two-day sample, nothing more, noting less.  Falsely drawing conclusions with such a small sample or even an online survey is dangerous to say the least.

While I welcome the survey, everyone needs to be informed of the limitations and flaws.  People need to be aware of not just what question is being asked, but how is the question being asked.  Why are the questions being asked?

I don’t care if we get a Target, Wal-Mart, Shopco or any other big box.  My concern is that others will use the study to exclude places; again, a phantom big box ordinance.

During my years at K-Mart, we didn’t share that data with communities or outside consulting firms, but our vendors, we shared info.  There is a synergy, a combining to obtain a common goal.  Not exactly, the same as K-Mart being asked what percent of shoppers are from 53172 - South Milwaukee.  What is in it for K-Mart to release that info?

A reader in comments hits on important part, “Without knowing the absolute specifics of the analysis that is to be provided by the consulting firm, I can't form truly informed opinion on whether or not this particular study is a good thing, whether the insights it provides are an accurate picture or not”.

Questions are important, but answers are necessary

Questions without answers are useless

It is too early to make false statements that the data says “NO” to a specific store like Wal-Mart.  It is like calling an election just after the polls close.

Strict guidelines and clear definitions are needed.  They appear to be lacking.  But the survey and analysts is not over either.

Let us not just close our eyes and allow someone to blindly lead us down a hasty path that is the wrong one.  Walk, not run, with eyes open wide, down the right path. 

I fear with the statement that Wal-Mart cannot be supported by the data so far, was a jump of the gun and might have tipped the hand to which direction the data will be spun.

We cannot have someone tilting the playing field.

The study is what it is (don’t forget the Rumsfeldian doctrine)!  Nothing more, nothing less! 

Retailers abandon Detroit

America's 11th largest city doesn't have a single big-chain grocery store

Read full article here

‘Ghostboxes’ haunt communities across U.S.

As big retailers go under, consolidate, blight is monument to lost jobs

Read full article here

Don’t forget in the business agreement this was going to be taken care of in Cudahy.  Wal-Mart would either put money aside to remove the building or find a new tenant for the building.  Zach resorts to scare tactics.

6-2-08 Razing fees for big box stores is something that I brought up at the first Master Plan meeting and is something that should be hammered in to any big deal.  Don’t get me wrong, I want the Wal-Mart in Cudahy, but it needs to be a nice looking store and has to have the right conditions on it.  I think putting in a clause that will either force Wal-Mart to find a new tenant in reasonable defined time or include something, which assesses developers a fee that can be used for demolition if needed, as counterproductive to attracting new business, is needed.

We need to protect the city from unneeded and unsightly vacant sites, so-called ghost boxes, the remains of what are often big box stores left vacant when retailers downsize, relocate or go out of business.