H-E-B Houston division president Scott McClelland tells the Chronicle‘s Mike Morris what he’s been telling members of the Montrose Land Defense Coalition for several months: That the grocery company is willing to include a 2-acre park adjacent to its planned Montrose store on the site of the former Wilshire Village apartments at the corner of West Alabama and Dunlavy — but only if community fundraisers can come up with “some offset” of the $2 to $3 million in extra costs required. “I’m not saying it has to be dollar-for-dollar,” McClelland says. “If we get close to raising that kind of money, we’ll find a way to do it. But if we can’t raise any money, it’d be tough for me to justify putting a park in.”
The company plans to have its new store back up to West Alabama and face south. If enough money can be raised, McClelland says the store can be raised — on stilts, so parking can fit underneath. That would leave room for a 2-acre park on the site’s south end. The “H-E-B on stilts” plan would also include space for a farmers market. Without the extra funds, that park area would be used for parking instead — though mature trees on the south portion of the property would still remain.
***
Although McClelland tells the Chronicle he’s spoken informally with possible donors, there’s no indication how hard H-E-B is working on its own to round up funds for the store-raising. But McClelland has pressed the Montrose Land Defense Coalition — a group formed originally to protest chain-store development on the site and later to preserve a portion of it for public uses — to help the grocery company cultivate donor prospects, including foundations and charities. McClelland also says he’s open to other approaches to coming up with the funds, such as leasing out space in the park to a small restaurant.
H-E-B’s current plans call for a 70,000-sq.-ft. store on the site, approximately the same size as the recently built Buffalo Market on Bissonnet and Buffalo Speedway. Versions of a site plan prepared independently by local architect Robert Morris have appeared — somewhat misleadingly — in other reports about H-E-B’s plans in Montrose. But Morris has not been hired by H-E-B. His schemes roughly follow the outline provided by McClelland, but they also include a row of small shops with offices above them facing West Alabama, backing up to the H-E-B. Both versions of the architect’s plans rely heavily on head-in parking along both Dunlavy and West Alabama. But head-in parking of more than 4 cars in a row has not been allowed in new city developments for quite some time.
- H-E-B may build new store on stilts [Houston Chronicle]
- Wilshire Village coverage [Swamplot]
Photo: Carl Guderian [license]
I’d like to see these unbathed hippies come up with that money. If they want a say what happens to private property, put your money where your mouth is.
Wow, HEB is really putting forward an effort to work with the local communities to keep their stores pleasing to the surrounding community.
What a novel concept Ainbinder and Wal-Mart!
Seriously, having a 2 acre green space and the possibility of under-store parking would be simply fantastic.
From Commonsense:
I’d like to see these unbathed hippies come up with that money. If they want a say what happens to private property, put your money where your mouth is.
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This seems like a potentially great corporate/community partnership. It’s not chump change, but it can be done. I hope the Montrose land Defense Coalition can get it together and do the fund-raising. I, for one, am willing to forgo my soap and patchouli budget for a month and instead dedicate those funds to this cause.
I agree, Montrose is not a cheap area of town. Regardless of how many hippies live there, the landowners should definitely have some money to throw around, especially for a cause directly benefitting themselves.
just sounds like HEB is using this as the perfect opportunity to ensure they put fiesta out of business across the street.
the community invests in HEB for a 2-acre park (for dogs to crap in i guess?) that is literally unnecessary and they in turn lock in the communities business. does HEB get a tax break for leaving this land as green space, because that would be horrible for the community?
it’s a smart play for someone, but it’s not clear for whom.
Well, I believe the important thing to note is the Montrose community wanted a park there.
Whether we think it’s necessary or not, the residents of the area want a park there and HEB is not turning a deaf ear.
God bless you Scott McClelland. That’s the funniest shit I’ve seen all day. Thank you for making my Friday morning coffe that much better.
Yeah, I’m not sure I understand the “necessary” remark. Lots of things that make life more pleasurable are not “necessary.” A small amount of green space there would be nice, period.
It’s nice to know that with a 2 acre park adjacent, the homeless guys asking me for spare change in the parking lot won’t have to far to walk to get home/pee/take a smoke break.
/sarcasm
no the montrose does not want a park there. i live not far from there and no one has asked me to vote and as far as i know nobody has asked the immediately surrounding communities to vote either. certainly many people do, but far from everyone.
2 million is not a large amount for a company like HEB. yes, it’ll be one of the most expensive stores for them in the houston area, but it could easily be one of the highest grossing due to the surrounding incomes.
the gov’t asks us for money to fix our country and we tell them to @#$@ off, but a private company asks us for money and i’m supposed to think this is some groundbreaking act of generosity? i’m too pessimistic for that and it’s scary others aren’t.
I think the Courtlandt Place residents should pony up. We can then gladly name it Courtlandt Park, if they want.
It’s the Montrosian thing to do.
I don’t live their anymore, but put me down for at least $100 if a legit fund-raising campaign pops up.
Joel, that is one of the nuttiest posts I’ve ever seen – anywhere. Congrats.
Unbathed hippies? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed or what, as stated it certainly isn’t the cheapest place to live, and the residents do genuinely care about their neighborhood, I should know, I am one..
Want hippies try Berkeley, or Austin…
I agree w/ Joel…I kept wondering why everyone was so excited that private citizens might be allowed to come up w/ millions of dollars to improve an ugly HEB…also, why is it going to face south and “back up” onto W. Alabama? I can’t wait to be looking at the back end of an HEB everytime I go down W. Alabama…
sorry guys, i just feel that we could have used the 2 million to keep the swimming pool at dunlavy park, or maybe see with the Menil to build a nice playground at the empty lot behind richmond hall.
there’s plenty of green spaces around, but without any investment i don’t see any point to them. i’d prefer higher quality green spaces and partnerships with non-profit companies.
maybe i am nutty, but my kids face was destroyed when he saw the playground closed at dunlavy and that the pool was coming out at the beginnning of the summer. i just have competing interest in wishing to see people wanting to get more use out of dunlavy park for the kids in the area.
Why does this park require $2-3 mil? It’s basically ALREADY there.
Or is McClelland talking about lost revenue?
I cannot imagine a grocery on stilts! Come on! All receiving requiring elevators? Grocery carts flying down ramps!
This sounds like a story from the Onion.
It requires 2-3 m. ’cause land isn’t free.
Good for HEB. Way to put forward a compromise!
I think the extra 2-3 mil comes into play because that’s the extra construction costs for building the store on “stilts” in order to leave the 2 acres for the green space.
Want to see a supermarket on stilts? Try the mid town Randalls, though bring a fortune with you, they’re ‘spensive..
Grocery carts and stairs. That’ll be a hoot.
I think the big plus everyone is missing is parking in the shade! :P
Doesn’t the Whole Foods flagship store in Austin have underground parking? It’s been a while since I’ve been but I think I remember there being motorized ramps. Am I making this up?
If it’s a ploy HEB may regret it if someone comes up with the money.
Personally I think it’s a ploy. So I hope someone comes up with the money.
God I wish they would mow down every last tree and build the ugliest building in town just to spite all you naysayers and nutcases.
Here some ragtag group gets on television whining about the trees, the green space, etc….and HEB is basically saying okay we’ll try and incorporate your concerns but you have to bring something to the table as well.
That isn’t good enough for y’all. Maybe a 2 acre park will cost more to mow, plant, edge, trim, fertilize over a 30 year
period than extra paving and a few light poles?
And as far as 2m isn’t alot of money to a big company–where do you think it will come from? Most likely, the money that feeds its employee 401k/pension matches a.k.a. profit.
“No one asked me about a park….” Well no one asked me to be George Clooney’s stand in for Ocean’s Eleven either. BFD.
They may need to add a few more bucks to the price tag to build showers for the unbathed hippies.
.
And yes, Whole Foods has done shopping cart conveyor ramps.
If there are herds of unbathed hippies who can afford to live in Montrose, maybe I should send them a resume and see if they’re hiring.
From Mies:
They may need to add a few more bucks to the price tag to build showers for the unbathed hippies.
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They can easily raise that if they start stocking grow-lights and patchouli.
Sounds sort of okay, a kind of compromise. Would rather see the whole 7 acres turned into a park.
Am a “hippie” and proud of it. I do “bathe”. And comments about “hippies and bathing” are fine with me. No problem. Just wonder why anyone would be offended by making this area a park? It´s such a beautiful lot. As said, think it would be best and best advertisement for HEB to make the whole lot, a park. Am sure many people would donate money to help preserve the whole lot as a park, with no HEB on it.
if you seriously call yourself a hippie you should probably just take a look at yourself as objectively as you can
> Doesn’t the Whole Foods flagship store in > Austin have underground parking?
Yes, your memory is correct; they have flat-belt escalators for the carts.
If the HEB has shaded parking, they’ll get all of my business that had been going to Kroger.
Linda: way to go, let your freak flag fly, whilst being cleanly and tidy. Just build the HEB, yeah it’s sad the pool is gone, sorry, and yes a park would be great, I just don’t see the community getting behind basically what amounts to subsidizing HEB’s building plans, hippy or conservatively speaking. I’m very liberal minded, but balanced by practical knowledge of how the real world works. Also none too thrilled about Montrose being the butt of so many jokes, it’s a good community and I count myself as a proud resident (albeit a straight one)..
Thank you all for educating me about these upstairs-groceries!
Sooo.. customers get the added benefit of burning a few calories before picking up food, and, the store can’t flood, AND, there could be a zip-line down thru the treetops into the park.
Dunlavy Park is 1/3 mile away and it is dark and poorly maintained. I took my dog to try out the “dog run” and I found a mud pit with no other dogs (or their owners) around. I’ve never gone back since there are much better-maintained dog parks just 5 minutes farther by car.
I’m with Joel. Why set up another park to be neglected in the same way just down the street? How about using a similar amount of dough to fix up the existing park with lighting, drainage, parking, and other improvements?
Also – I can’t wait to see how many flying plastic grocery bags end up stuck in the beautiful live oak trees that remain! It could be a real attraction around Christmas time.
If it’s to be a private park (not COH), it will have to be maintained. Grass, trees, benches, all the things that you find in a park. Like picking up the trash, dog poo too and don’t even start thinking about liability. There’s more to a “park” than land.
Can you see the dollar signs now?
> …how the real world works…
My Montrose neighbor across the street (incidentally, we’re both breeders, historical enemy of the gay hippie) is a financial auditor for the city, and he tells me… wooo scheisse, are the city’s books in deep trouble.
Won’t be new parks for a long time unless they come about through a public/private deal like the one proposed.
Sounds good to me. I pledge to stop shopping at the Kroger if I can park my car’s child seats in the shade.
Yay! A zip line! LOL
I love parks, I hate ugly strip center megamart grocery stores (especially in beautiful Montrose).
But I basically see this as HEB threatening to chop down all the big Live Oaks on that lot if folks don’t come up with $2 or 3 mil to preserve them…its extortion. Ridiculous!
Extortion? The OWN the property. They’re at least trying to work with the community toward what the community says it wants.
Yes they own the property and can do with it as they wish. But it sounds as if they’re saying that unless the public comes up w/ a couple million for a “park”, the whole thing is going to be one big megamart w/ parking lot (and no trees). Don’t remember the last time a grocery store asked me to come up with money to improve their land…
They’re not asking for money ti “improve” their land, they’re asking for money if you want it done YOUR way. Otherwise they go with original plan.
As much as I hope it doesn’t become “one big megamart w/ parking lot and no trees,” they have the right to do that. I think HEB will attempt to make it as visually pleasing as they can. But they do need to make a profit off of this location. If the community wants a park, I don’t think it’s going overboard for HEB to ask the community to help with the expense.
JRo, the article above states that even without the park, HEB will preserve the mature trees on the southern part of the lot regardless
I live nearby and I’m please with this proposal. I would think a highly visible park in front of the HEB would be much better maintained than Dunlavy Park, which is tucked away on Dunlavy and crammed up against 59
The point is that obviously leaving part of the huge tract a green park with trees is preferable to an ugly megamart no tree parking lot. Therefore HEB are the ones who should pay for this, not b/c they give a flip about quality of life, aesthetics, or the environment, but b/c it is the right business decision since it will attract more customers. My problem is that they’re asking money from the public to do what is not only the best thing to do for the neighborhood but also from a business perspective. The flipside is if it doesn’t happen, HEB will just say “oh well you only have yourselves to blame, guess you didn’t want the park enough” (and tinkerbell dies)
Jeez people have reading comprehension issues. HEB is not saying the $2 million is for the park, it is to offset the cost of building the new store on stilts. People complained and wanted to put a park there and now when asked to put their money where their mouths are, they don’t want to. Stop asking for HEB to eat the cost of the stilts, it’s not going to happen.
The store has to go on stilts to put parking underneath, which would be the only way they will have room for a greenspace (instead of big parking lot.) They don’t just want a store on stilts for the heck of it…
I doubt going thru all the trouble to build a store on stilts and maintaining a park is their best business decision. From a purely business perspective, they wouldn’t do any of that.
JRo, I understand that. I also understand many people wanted to see that land turned into a park. A very expensive park I may add since the cost of the land is a lot. Once HEB purchased the land people complained about another corporate store with a huge parking lot. Now the option is there to have a park, people aren’t so keen to the idea because it requires the use of their own money. It’s easy to spend other people’s money isn’t it? Bottom line is, if those people who cried out for the park truly want it, then pony up the money.
Yes they own the property and can do with it as they wish. But it sounds as if they’re saying that unless the public comes up w/ a couple million for a “parkâ€, the whole thing is going to be one big megamart w/ parking lot (and no trees). Don’t remember the last time a grocery store asked me to come up with money to improve their land…
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No one is forcing you to contribute let alone shop there. The point is all these noisy folks who are mourning the loss of Wilshire Village and are emotionally attached to the trees have a chance to preserve some it. People contributed to the 11th Street Park despite its ownership by the City of Houston. H-E-B could just as easily sell the 2 acres or lease it to Chick-Fil-A or some such thing.
I can be certain if 98% of you owned Wilshire Village and you could have sold it for multi millions, you wouldn’t blink.
You’d drive the bulldozer yourself if it sealed the deal.
Victor, I think it’s a little early to say people don’t want to pay up for the park. A few swamplot and chronicle comments don’t mean much…plus the whole thing is a little vague at this point. I also think HEB would go ahead with this plan even if the donations aren’t near $2-$3 million, hence the “it doesn’t have to be dollar for dollar”. I’m curious as to the timeline on this considering we haven’t seen renderings
To me, mature trees raise the desirability of neighborhoods and businesses. Montrose has lost so much of its tree canopy over the past couple of decades. I don’t care about Wishire Village, I don’t even care about having some large fancy park there, but I do hope that they keep at least some of the trees on that lot rather than just do whats cheapest and raize the whole thing. If they do that, I definately will not shop there.
Right, mature trees and their green space are irreplaceable.
If HEB saves a park-like section of this property, it would be a good thing for the neighborhood of course, but it may also make for a very nice – preferred – store to shop at.
HEB knows that shoppers have options in this city. They build attractive stores, but they should should definitely break the mold with this one!
The hardest part about living in Houston is being surrounded by so much idiocy.
Seriously, one post wants HEB to bulldoze large oak trees just to spite the neighbors who care. Another thinks anyone who cares about issues like tree canopies and green space must be an unwashed hippie. Even more think it’s assinine to expect corporate neighbors to be good neighbors. Another goes on to claim that a breeder in Montrose is public enemy #1 despite the fact that the majority of gays cashed out years ago and only come to that part of town to drink and eat.
Corporate Tightwads.
From Patrick:
> …how the real world works…
My Montrose neighbor across the street (incidentally, we’re both breeders, historical enemy of the gay hippie) is a financial auditor for the city, and he tells me… wooo scheisse, are the city’s books in deep trouble.
Won’t be new parks for a long time unless they come about through a public/private deal like the one proposed.
________________________________
No, no, no. According to the former controller and former mayor, the books are fine. The city is fine. According to the former controller who is now the mayor, we just all need to eat our vegetables.
“Don’t blame me, I didn’t vote for her…”
I wouldn’t plan on a public/private park any time soon. Anywhere. Eventually someone is going to realize how much Discovery Green cost the taxpayers. And the taxpayers will say “no” to any more of these “public/private” parks.
I still say this is just a ploy. Which provides a perfect out. And there go the trees. Along with Fiesta.
Much cyclical thinking, and or mayoral bashing/hating. Nah never at swamplot. Was an otherwise good post.
I shall eat my veggies and expect sheiss from the city.
Matt Mystery checklist…
Annise Parker criticism…check…
Southhampton must be next. Or maybe he’ll just jump right to Sybil Leak
Matt Mystery checklist…
Annise Parker criticism…check…
Southhampton must be next. Or maybe he’ll just jump right to Sybil Leak
_________________________________________
No we’ll have to get Houston Rennaissance rehashed, a gay history lesson and an homage to Sylvia Miles first.
First, I lived somewhere with a grocery store (Whole Foods) on stilts. It worked beautifully.
Second, I think HEB is demonstrating an unprecedented level of community outreach for a private company. Many other supermarkets would have just paved the whole lot and dropped their store in the middle. But it sounds like HEB is letting community members choose from between three schemes.
We’ll see if they continue the outreach. I’m encouraged so far.
It’s their land now, not yours. They can do what they want with it (for the most part). You had your chance to spend millions of dollars to preserve the land. Be thankful that you get a second chance at the low, low price of $2-3 Mil to keep a slice.
I’m with you Dime.
I think some people are not realizing what an opportunity this could be.
And I sure don’t think HEB is being stingy– I think it is a pretty progressive approach.
I have long been accused of being stauchly anti-Corporation on most issues. In fact I will cheerfully cop to it…. But this could be very cool if people would just look at the big picture.
I also think that turning the store to face away from Alabama could be radically cool.
If the back side, facing Alabama, were walled/ fenced/ landscaped nicely think of how much better that would look, to have only the Dunlavy side look commercial.
From cm=Corey:
Much cyclical thinking, and or mayoral bashing/hating. Nah never at swamplot. Was an otherwise good post.
________________
Missed this earlier. Not supporting Annise Parker is not a sign of “bashing/hating.”
That wore thin during the campaign.
Thank you Harold and Dime for your common sense (and some others).
I now realize there are people who hate the opportunity to acquire green space.
Just F—ing amazing.
HEB presented a great opportunity to acquire green space. The problem is that the activists only want it if it’s at someone else’s expense. That’s commie thinking right there.
HEB doesn’t owe anyone anything. The fact they are even offering up the land speaks to the company. I think it’s a mistake though because your pandering to people who are not looking for a real solution only holding their hand out. If a group cares about green space raise the money and buy it when it becomes available.
From JRo:
“…Therefore HEB are the ones who should pay for this, not b/c they give a flip about quality of life, aesthetics, or the environment, but b/c it is the right business decision since it will attract more customers…”
=========================
More customers? Like how many more? For a $2,500,000 up-front investment, they would break even after 10 years with 2400 more customers per day. (avg. industry 1.4% profit margin, HEB: $35/customer)
Considering that HEB’s average store has 2800 customers per day, and they’re proposing less parking, not more, how would they ever hope to achieve an 85% increase in customers just for being nice?
Do you think that people all over the Houston area, suburbs included, will just overnight spend more money at HEB because of a 2 acre park HEB set aside to placate some busybodies in a part of town some of them have never even heard of and who probably don’t read Swamplot?
This is, again, a ploy as in public relations ploy, on the part of HEB.
Even if some non-profit came up with the “high-range” of $3 million, HEB would just readjust their figures.
But hey, they really wanted to do the park, you know?
Yes, a PR scam.
These guys are only coming in here to fleece the neighborhood.
The driver for this is PR, to be sure. They want the appearance of working with the community and not against it. I think that by itself undercuts half of the opposition. A duck pond, some cute furry animals, or some “green” bs initiative in the park would get rid of most of the rest of the opposition.
As for whether they would rescind their offer if $2-$3 million were raised by the community, we’ll have to see.
That Fiesta sucks. I love Fiesta, but the one on West Alabama is really run down. Also, I really don’t like many of the local Krogers, and the midtown Randalls is expensive and never has what I need in stock. I want the HEB and it sounds good that they’re working with the community. They just better not damage the live oaks….