Security National Servicing Corp. is ready to belly-bump any big box rivals in Fortuna, according to spokesguy Brian Morrissey.
“What big box,” you say? “There’s no big box in Fortuna.”
Turns out, Morrissey — who’s gunning for Home Depot on the Eureka Waterfront — is trying to save local businesses* from any would-be big box competition in the Friendly City.
“Marina Center is the best defense for Eureka retailers from development in Fortuna,” Morrissey is quoted in the North Coast Journal.
Always defending the little guy, that Security National.
(Unless, of course, you oppose their Home Depot “project”).
Security National has been busy closing banks and laying off workers this year. But Morrissey told the Journal there’s plenty of warbucks to plop the hugely unwanted Home Depot on Humboldt Bay.
“Security National does and will continue to have the resources necessary to complete Marina Center,” he said.
Uh-huh. SN’s business model is obvious: Why have a bank when you can have a failing big box whose sales are down, its reputation is in the toilet, employees are laid-off, stores are closing, and plans for new stores are being tossed in the trash?
______________________
*Ha-ha-ha! Yeah, right.
September 5, 2008 at 6:37 am
Are there shirts with that sign on them yet?
September 5, 2008 at 6:54 am
Are you sure the Home Depot is “hugely unwanted” by everyone or just a small but loud segment of our community? If Home Depot wasn’t in the plan and say- Pierson’s for instance went in it’s place, would you be ok with it then? Be honest now.
September 5, 2008 at 7:49 am
50 years here a small business owner and one who has like items to Home Depot i have talked extensively with business3es facing the same dilema in Ukiah and after the initial 2-3 month shock of HD arrival business improved for a lot of the smaller retailers as more people converged from outlying areas to shop. I know that flies in the face of the “sky will fall theory” you are proposing but my families financial stability has to rely on actualities not personal vendettas against someone
September 5, 2008 at 7:52 am
I am not a fan of Home Depot but I am even more sick and tired of being ripped off by Piersons. The buy local mantra only works if the local business provides valve and service. While admittedly Piersons does provide a minimum level of service with their cadres of underpaid staff who only work their because of the lack of better paying local opportunities, the gouge the customer pricing structure cuz they can’t go anywhere else attitude of management and ownership is unacceptable. I buy anywhere but Piersons. If I cannot find what I need at other local stores (at a fair price) I wait and hit Freidmans or Lowes and yes, sometimes even Home Depot in other towns. Anything is better than Pierson up the butt.
September 5, 2008 at 8:02 am
Take a look 90 miles to the north, see how well the small business have done up against wall-depot!
This isn’t a real business plan. it’s about getting even with Bill Pierson. Rob is still mad about Walmart and Bill Piersons support of Peter Lavalle over his wife Cheri. Rob never forgets or forgives.
September 5, 2008 at 8:26 am
i say bring on home depot (or lowes)…i’m sick of getting the big hammer.
September 5, 2008 at 8:35 am
Randy 8:02, Who cares about Arkley’s supposed fued with Pierson. That is their problem. I am talking about the thirty plus years of screwing Piersons has been giving this community. High prices, low paying jobs. Enough already, lets give them some competition, we will all win. This is not some small, little guy being pushed out by the big bad corporation. This is a big guy who has taken full and complete advantage of a near monopoly who will hopefully will get exactly what he deserves.
September 5, 2008 at 8:56 am
Choice is good. This has been well established throughout history.
The area now is such an outrageous eyesore… we moved up from Southern Cal. a year ago and love the area, but are amazed to see big chunks of land like this (balloon tract) in such prime locations looking so lousy.
I’m no big fan of big corporations either but the point is to choose between/among the available alternatives, not the ones you’d like to have but don’t. It looks to me like the alternatives here are these:
1. Leave the area alone, let it get uglier and uglier. Keep paying high prices to local retailers. Don’t get additional jobs and tax revenues.
2. Let Arkley & HD do their thing. OK, the rich get richer, nothing new here. But the area gets a whole lot of improvement, more jobs, more tax revenues, more choices. Local stores will have to compete… and those who want to support them will be free to do so.
Second choice sounds better to me. Sounds like it does to a lot of others as well. Hopefully we’ll all still be around by the time all the bickering and squabbling gets settled…
September 5, 2008 at 9:28 am
Personally, I am against big box venues in general. But we shouldn’t overlook the fact that some people are specifically against the use of the waterfront for one. Why isn’t there a proposal for some other site more appropriate to the eyesore that it would be, then we can talk about competition and taxes, and jobs, choice, etc.
September 5, 2008 at 9:44 am
Couldn’t care less about the Arkleys, but isn’t this Arkleyville mantra getting a little…old? Wouldn’t it just be better to do Nothing with the balloon track property and make sure it doesn’t generate any tax revenue and then bitch about how the city needs more $$ to fund endless stupid money programs?? How about making it a huge homeless encampment? Splendid. We could highlight that in a visitors guide. Is it ok for Piersons to corner the building supply market here locally? Bill P. makes a…profit!! Why isn’t that deemed evil? Didn’t the Pierson Mall provide us with Rite Aid, Blockbuster, Michaels, and Dollar Tree to compete with local business?? Why is that ok?? No drum beating on that one. Just make sure you add “-ville” after the name of every local business to salute their Selfish Entrepreneurship. Now ya’ll get back to pushing your shopping carts and shut up.
September 5, 2008 at 9:48 am
8:56 – let me fill you in with a bit of history since this one goes way deeper than superficial “personal vendettas” and issues of “choice”.
The Eureka City Council has paid for at least four studies that focused on economic development for (what to do with) the publicly-zoned Balloon Track parcel. The last one came in 1999, when Wal-Mart tried to strong-arm their way into siting themselves there (supported by then-mayor Nancy Flemming and then-City Councilwoman Cherie Arkley), and was produced by the independent research firm Bay Area Economics and paid for by the city. It studied the demographics and shopping habits of Humboldt County as they actually existed and showed that the area was actually highly “over-retailed” for its population (# of stores/person). Furthermore, the report showed that a home improvement Big Box store was likely to negatively impact the existence of over 100 smaller stores in the county, even more than a general-merchandise Big Box like Wal-Mart. The report also showed related employment and tax revenues would not go up in the long term, but rather be shifted around as the competition dynamic played out. Link, anyone?
For me, this isn’t an all-or-nothing, black-or-white issue as many in the media and community try to portray it. SN deserves credit for altering its project with an increased residential component and wetlands (which it would have had to include anyway to compensate for the loss of existing wetlands at the BT. As it stands, 11-odd acres won’t even probably be enough, but we’ll let the Coastal Commish and SN hash that out). Despite having zero trust in the credibility of Brian Morrisey and Randy Gans, I feel that as it stands, the mixed-use aspect of the project is good – if they were to excise the inappropriate siting of another predatory Big Box in one of the most congested areas of Eureka. I’m curious to read in the EIR the traffic flow “improvements” that CalTrans allegedly signed-off on. I’ve heard that they may involve re-routing traffic up Harris Street from 101 North, and then back over to 101 via S and West Streets. This would significantly change the character of neighborhoods this new artery flowed through, and Eureka itself.
I would ask yourself, 8:56, what is it about Humboldt that brought you up here from the big city in the first plac? Small retail and the small-county character I would guess played some role. How would a Home Depot dropped down in the center of Eureka alter that?
September 5, 2008 at 9:55 am
Here’s the Bay Area Economics Report (pdf).
Eric Kirk hosted a discussion about it a while back.
September 5, 2008 at 9:57 am
I want a home depot, instead of being extorted by Piersons on price and outdated inventory… not what sure what your talking about…maybe the wrong location?
September 5, 2008 at 10:01 am
Let the record also reflect that Pierson’s does not, on the whole, underpay its workers. I’m constantly surprised by how many happy “lifers” work there. Ask them about their compensation, whether it is fair, or not (I have). I also challenge you to ask any of them how they like working there. I’ve shopped there for years and never heard a bad report from any worker I’ve queried, from the yard monkeys all the way up to management.
Just in the interest of the truth…
September 5, 2008 at 10:11 am
It’s a shame Arkley is pursuing a Pierson-killer. Pierson is an example of how to do local business right. I actually ENJOY shopping there and appreciate that it is not a blueprint of the chainstore crap like Ace Hardware. I believe 9:57 has smoked one too many doobies.
September 5, 2008 at 10:16 am
Everytime I see a Pierson’s TV commercial or print ad with the employees, it reminds me of the fact that these people are the same people who helped me a decade ago. Maybe even 2 decades ago. I really doubt that they are screwing their employees if there is so little turnover. I’d say they’re atleast satisfied.
Most of the hate on here for Pierson’s is obviously politically motived. Nobody mentions any of the other Hardware stores in the county. From my experience, they all are priced around the same.
Someone please prove me wrong-
September 5, 2008 at 10:26 am
I find Pierson’s employees to be helpful, knowledgeable and they seem to have pride in their jobs. The same can’t be said for Home Depot.
September 5, 2008 at 11:01 am
Back to my original question: If the plan replaced Home Depot with a new Pierson’s, would the progressive left and Heraldo back off or is the crux of the issue that it’s Rob Arkley’s project? Seriously.
September 5, 2008 at 11:06 am
Why would we need a new Pierson’s on the Balloon Track? The current store seems quite adequate.
September 5, 2008 at 11:27 am
I would not want a retail hardware store built at the Balloon Tract. Home Depot, Lowe’s, Pierson’s, Friedman’s, etc.
Does that help?
Probably not.
September 5, 2008 at 11:35 am
Dear ho (11:01),
The answer to your pointless question is obvious– of course a giant big-box mall on the waterfront is not appropriate no matter who the retailer is.
It is a stupid, wasteful use of a prime piece of real estate that is a significant asset in any community — waterfront property!
The question is not whether to home depot or not, it is whether to consign an increasingly rare and valuable resource to an ugly, unnecessary, redundant, low-value use that will damage the well- being of the community.
This is also not a question of private property rights–
SN has the exact same development rights today as the day they bought the long ignored toxic waste dump.
This is a question of the city & its citizens altering the current zoning to allow a massive, traffic congesting, parking lot with a few buildings sprinkled around it.
One other question– if the zoning change is made and home depot is still not building stores, and their petroleum dependent continuous supply chains are stretched ever thinner along with their profits, and they decide to withdraw from the project despite all protestations to the contrary– what would stop wally world from invading the site. A question asked many times and not yet answered.
September 5, 2008 at 11:37 am
At the Green Party Assembly last month David Cobb asked all three candidates present if they would let the people of Eureka vote on the issue before they would change the zoning for the Balloon Track (now zoned public use) and Clark and Atkins said yes with a few qualifiers. Frank Jager dissembled. Polly Enderts position is unknown but it is a safe bet that both Republicans Jager and Endert will be generally pro development.
Until the zoning is changed nothing will happen. I myself want to keep it public use – forever.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
September 5, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Point is it’s not in public use Bill unless you want to buy if from SN and donate it to the City or a non profit. Let me rephrase my question, pointless as it seems to some: If SN replaced Home Depot with say- a free to the public community pool- anything like that, along with the mixed residential and other aspects- would that be ok? No? Is my question too obtuse? I’m really not trying to be a wiseass here.
September 5, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Your argument would hold water IF you supported putting a big box ANYWHERE in the County. But you’ll fight it no matter where it is proposed. So, try again.
The fact is Pierson’s has survived other “Big Boxes’ like Pay’N Pak – and, competition will be good for everyone – it will not necessarily hurt Pierson’s at all.
September 5, 2008 at 12:26 pm
Every existing store selling X goods is hurt by every new store that also sells X. It’s NEVER a good development.
September 5, 2008 at 12:34 pm
8:56 –Be careful what you wish for. What you moved from, you just maybe creating. It has always amazed me that there are people that relocate here because of the “beauty and rural charm” of the area,then complain about the lack of big box services.I realize that prices here are a little higher because we don’t have an abundence of “big boxes” but thats the trade-off for” beauty and rural charm.”
September 5, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Okay, Ho Ho –
Yes, I would support the existing development plan of Marina Center – minus the Big Box store. This isn’t about supporting or opposing anyone, per se – it’s about what’s best for Eureka, and developing the Balloon Track with as little economic collateral damage as possible.
September 5, 2008 at 12:45 pm
I worked at Pierson’s over 20 years ago for a short time – short because the attitude was if you didn’t like the working conditions, there was a line of folks who would do your job, so shut up and get back to work.
Arkley ought to tell Home Depot that the deal with building a store here would be to put in a distribution warehouse out in Fairhaven near his dock. Ship it in and truck it out. Pray for a railroad.
I have met people who are moving here and state what a beautiful area this is and how they would never let anyone cut another tree and “Where is the Home Depot?”. Go figure.
September 5, 2008 at 12:50 pm
I would say they are very confused. Let them stay in Southern Cal!
September 5, 2008 at 1:19 pm
You worked for a short time 20 years ago. Wow! Well, you’re an expert in my book.
More like disgruntled ex-employee who couldn’t cut it for long.
September 5, 2008 at 1:38 pm
And you worked there how long? Like you know shit.
September 5, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Thanks Average Eurekan. I appreciate your thoughful reply- I believe most progressives want what’s best for Eureka as do I- it seems some otherwise well meaning folks get their blinders on with being pissed off at Arkleys to where if SN and Rob Arkley were out of the picture and the developer was Bob Ornelas for example their opinion would be totally different.
September 5, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Remember when Pay “n” Pak closed and the prices at Pierson’s went through the roof? About 10 years ago?
I wish some worker currently employeed by Pierson would come forward with the skinny on wages and benefits.
The median hourly pay for Home Depot workers is $13.13.
http://www.payscale.com/research/US/Employer=Home_Depot_Inc/Hourly_Rate/by_State
The average hourly pay for Eureka is $12.12 . ($13.80 for males and $10.60 for females!)
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/local-jobs/city/l-Eureka,+CA
We are a poor area in need of jobs. Retail jobs are not the answer. Someone needs to lure something with economic sense.
September 5, 2008 at 2:23 pm
A high traffic development (say, a big box or two) in that location would be a traffic nightmare of epic proportions. Broadway is on the ragged hairy edge of meltdown as it is. Not sure how you’d mitigate for that given the constraints.
It’s a bad place for that kind of development, and not just because it’s on the waterfront. However, those of you who say it’s a blight are absolutely right. I think SN is barking up the right tree with mixed use – sort of a transition between oldtown and the industrial side of town. I just think they are barking up the wrong tree with Home Depot.
How about moving the pink house there? Ocean front cells! Of course that would mean tearing down the centerpiece of Eureka, but there are always sacrifices to be made.
Honestly, I don’t know what the right answer would be, but I would love to see something like the mixed use neighborhoods in Portland. Shops and businesses below, with housing above. Maybe a downtown plaza surrounded by businesses?
September 5, 2008 at 2:28 pm
And it won’t get better without a bypass… or everyone deciding they want to walk, ride their bikes, jump on a bus or catch a lift on fairy wings.
Yeah, not going to happen. Traffic-wise Eureka is screwed for a very long time.
September 5, 2008 at 2:42 pm
I think we need to get with the “New Millenium” Big Boxes are on their way out. so are Malls. It would be a mistake to hitch our wagon to a dinosaur. Smart companies are switching to online retail with warehouse distribution. Sure it’s a few years away before online shopping becomes the norm, but can anyone say that it is not going in that direction? Why should stores maintain the outlet, the employees, all the expense, when they can trim it down to a website and a warehouse. While I don’t think the railroad will ever happen. transportation companies are going to keep growing and booming, as people have their products delivered. It’s already happening.
If I was advising Mr. Arkely, I would suggest putting energy into converting the mall into a residential community. Think about that one, how cool would that be? the balloon tract into a concert arena, and the railroad into an ultra-modern electric train running from trinidad to as far south as the tracks can go without the landslides.
I may not live to see it, but the day is coming when it won’t matter where you live in relation to your job. the office will be a lap-top. when that happens, professionals will no longer be forced to live in the cities. Then Eureka will come into its own. why would someone want to raise his family in San Jose, with all the problems associated with urban life, when they can work in an apartment looking out at the bay, or the mountains?
Ok, I know, it won’t work because of this, or that. But, I am talking about the gradual shift in lifestyle. and it is already happening.
September 5, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I’ve got to agree with you Moviedad. In my line of work the “bricks and mortar” are becoming less and less important and that’s happening fast. In the Service Industry sector as well as Government most work applications are internet based and you can work from a tree sit if you have a lap top and wi fi.
September 5, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Everyone wants to see what the EIR says about traffic management. Will it reference a future road West of Eureka Mall?
Eureka Public Works is also trying to make 1st street continuous from Old Town to Target. Then, Old Town will be flanked by waterfront roads and mass retail. Thats the “Arkley” vision of a revitalized waterfront. Put roads on waterfront lands, continuing their traditional Eureka use as unlivable places sacrificed to pollution and utilitarian ugliness.
September 5, 2008 at 3:00 pm
And then more people will move here to look out at that beautiful scenery and then slowly . . . .
Ah progress, no matter how you slice it, some folks just won’t like it.
September 5, 2008 at 3:21 pm
It’s already continuous, with nice development, a gym, some HSU stuff, Halvorson, once you get past oldtown. What exactly is the problem you envision? Nothing screws traffic patterns up worse than a bunch of discontinuous roads. They need to be developed intelligently, but they should be continuous. Usually.
September 5, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Gee, I wonder why the real estate agents describe houses on cul-de-sacs, or end-of the-road as so wonderful? Guess they’re trying to cover up for the lack of desirable continuous roads.
September 5, 2008 at 3:57 pm
The marina center plan seems fine to me, i just wish it was a best buy instead of a home depot. There isnt enough places to buy computers around here. Infact i cant even think of one!
September 5, 2008 at 4:00 pm
All sarcasm aside – is it appropriate to compare a mixed use, residential commerical project and it’s attendant transportation needs with a cul-de sac?
September 5, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Every existing store selling X goods is hurt by every new store that also sells X. It’s NEVER a good development.
Well, that explains why Burger King and McDonalds like to be located next to each other, doesn’t it. And why car dealers like to be located near each other, because they all prosper from the arrangement, in Auto Row, and why there’s usually a financial district in every town.
Why are you guys always so afraid of everything?
If they come in and there’s no business, they will fail. If there is business, there is enough to go around.
Crap, the dope incomes alone are enough to draw major retailers up here.
September 5, 2008 at 4:28 pm
I personally don’t have a problem with a Home Depot going in, although it seems like hardware overkill. The problem is that that location is too significant to sacrifice to a big box and parking lot. As Eureka grows, smart planning becomes more and more important and that use of that land is just plain stupid. Not the mixed use, the big box location. Once it’s in it will be there forever, so the time to make intelligent land use decisions is now. Otherwise you wind up with McKinleyville style planning on the bay.
September 5, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Well said.
September 5, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Anyone out there remember when Pay and Pak shut down? Pierson jacked up the prices big time.
The average pay is $13.13 an hour at California Home Depots.
The average pay in Eureka is $12.20 an hour. (Males average more than $6,500 more than women in Eureka!)
I would like to see what the wages and benefits are for the workers at Pierson.
September 5, 2008 at 5:48 pm
I would bet the average wage at Pierson’s exceeds $12.20/hour. However I am not privy to their books so I cannot say with certainty.
I do know that Home Depot is famous for hiring an initial workforce at store inception with a high average-wage work crew for PR reasons, then whittling it down over the next two or three years to reduce payroll costs, replacing benefited workers with un-benefited temps.
Pierson’s doesn’t play that game.
September 5, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Average hourly wage in Humboldt County is $14.25 accoring to Humboldt Prosperity.
September 5, 2008 at 5:53 pm
The saddest thing in this whole saga is that SN claims to not be able to find an economic driver (anchor) for Balloon Track development better than a Big Box-type retail store, the very type of use that the populace voted down in referendum in 1999.
Isn’t there a better way?
September 5, 2008 at 5:54 pm
“If they come in and there’s no business, they will fail.”
That would be after all their competitors have closed up shop.
September 5, 2008 at 5:56 pm
“Isn’t there a better way?”
And by capping the site they force residential off the first floor… requiring every residential structure to have a commercial space below. What will fill those spaces?
September 5, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I agree that home depot as a corporate entity SUCKS……I Also Agree that some business up here charge HIGH dollar amounts for the simple reason, we have no real competition, beacause nobodys whoesale buys are comparable to what a Corp. Like HD can throw around starting and maintaining stores…in the long run though just as the security national dude comments in the article, they WILL have the funds now and in the future to pull in that type of entity, so I think the,I dont like like it thing is null, the question is when they come and they will, will you shop there??????some items at those places are a better deal some are not, some is total junk, some around here is totol junk, yet still demands top dollar, I dont know , I think because sub conciously most businesses..think everyone is a grower…and growers can afford it..so whos to blame??
September 5, 2008 at 6:15 pm
With the influx of positive people traffic that any development in that area will bring, won’t that put the soup kitchen crowd nearby a little more in the spotlight? The soup kitchen certainly is a need in the community, but development begets more development, and the soup crowd is eventually gonna get squeezed outta there. The new Eureka Coop is the beginning of this upcoming change.
September 5, 2008 at 6:18 pm
justa thought you nailed it……..
September 5, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Pierson’s has served the needs of the north coast for decades. Pay and Pak was competition—but Pay and Pak is no longer with us or any where else because they could not survive at the prices they were charging.The other big boys back then could not be bothered with a location in this little burgh because of the population base.Knock Pierson’s all you want,but the fact is they have survived, run a profitable and successful business catering to the needs of north coast residents and builders.
September 5, 2008 at 6:37 pm
Say it.
September 5, 2008 at 7:09 pm
So who are the contractors who buy at Pierson’s? Anyone have a clue?
September 5, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Oh, I forgot, Greg Pierson must buy there. At a family discount?
September 5, 2008 at 7:12 pm
Pierson’s is a glorified Ace Hardware. That is where most of the stock comes from. They do purchase from Thrifty Plumbing Supply, but why waould a contractor/builder go to Pierson’s when they can go to Thrifty first and avoid the markup?
September 5, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Licensed contractors get a 20% discount.
Unlicensed, 10%.
I believe you need a plumber’s license to buy at Thrifty.
September 5, 2008 at 7:53 pm
If you are not a licnesed plumber, why would you want to put yourself through all that cussing?
September 5, 2008 at 7:54 pm
Freedom of choice.
Give me Home Depot.
If a local business is good, it will survive.
Hating on Arkley is so old and tired.
Jealousy sucks.
September 5, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I buy a lot there (Pierson’s) for my rentals repairs and projects. I also buy at other places locally- Hensels Materials on Broadway, The MillYard, Do it Best in Eureka and Arcata, Shafers, and Almquist. When you need a piece of lumber custom cut and planed for an odd situation, many of these places will do it for you- cheap. I feel so lucky to have these businesses. I also use Ace in various locations, Hensells Hardware in Arcata.
I like to go to Home Depot in other areas, but even better, Lowe’s, when I can’t find what I need here. The prices are not that different for general items and the locals have the chains beat when it comes to customer service. For big projects you really have to shop around, usually ending up making a deal with a larger supplier. I cautiously look forward to a big home improvement store, as well as the Marina Center cleaning up that area. I would hate it if any of those other stores were put out of business. It’s happened in my family, and it will happen to other small stores.
September 5, 2008 at 9:11 pm
Mike: Humboldt Prosperity be damned! According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Eureka, California is $25,372. That is $12.15 an hour. Check it out.
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/local-jobs/city/l-Eureka,+CA
September 5, 2008 at 9:13 pm
According to government data, the average salary for jobs in Eureka, California is $25,372.
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/local-jobs/city/l-Eureka,+CA
$12.15 an hour.
September 5, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Arkley will not only make life difficult for Piersons, there is Schaffers, Myrtletown lumber,Hensels and the other Ace Hardwares around the county. A store like HD will average a million dollars a day. That is coming out of every other related business in the county. HD has to draw from the whole county, as there are only 30,000 people in Eureka. Not enough to support a store of that size. So really what it boils down to is; one man’s vendeta against Bill Peirson affects people’s livelihood all over the county. Seems like there should be something out there that would not have such a negative economic impact on the community. I am sure there are some good sound ideas on your minds. Lets see if we can help Rob find a way to fill his pocket book and the county,s economy too.
September 5, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Oh, you’re such a “glass is completely empty” type of guy. Look on the bright side. People driving from everywhere in the county to shop in Eureka still have to eat and poop. That portends well for McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s.
Who am I kidding? No one eats at Wendy’s.
September 5, 2008 at 11:41 pm
Costco sits closer to the bay than the proposed Home Depot.
Comparing the Walmart proposal from 99 to the current Marina Center is apples and oranges.
Big Box and parking lot only, to mixed use – commercial/residential and restored wetlands…
Let the hate rage on Heraldo!
September 6, 2008 at 12:29 am
September 5, 2008 at 11:41 pm OR SN TROLL
Costco sits closer to the bay than the proposed Home Depot.
NOT TRUE!
Comparing the Walmart proposal from 99 to the current Marina Center is apples and oranges.
NO, IT”S DEAD ON! NO BIG BOX MALL ON THE WATERFRONT!
Big Box and parking lot only, to mixed use – commercial/residential and restored wetlands…
IT’S BIG BOX MALL AND PARKING LOT W/ OFFICES AND SMALL WETLAND
Let the TRUTH rage on Heraldo!
September 6, 2008 at 6:32 am
“…but Pay and Pak is no longer with us or any where else because they could not survive at the prices they were charging.”.
I was told Pay and Pak folded because all their stores were losing money…except for their Eureka store.
September 6, 2008 at 7:57 am
In any other community, the idea of live/work design is a good thing. Shop owners used to live above their stores in frontier towns, Bob Imperiale perfected it in Old Town, There are apartments above Waterfront, above businesses on the Plaza in Arcata, and people who live there love it.
But Buettner derides that, and says it has to do with capping. Give it up, man.
September 6, 2008 at 8:32 am
Why not have housing above small unit commercial for the whole project?
September 6, 2008 at 8:34 am
Any housing must include low and very low income housing. All projects must be inclusionary.
have a peaceful day,
Bill
September 6, 2008 at 9:14 am
Home Depot is welcome to go buy or lease a piece of property that is zoned retail and put in a story. Maybe there will be room at the mall soon?
Just don’t ask us to rezone property that is zoned public for something that at least half of the public does not want there.
September 6, 2008 at 9:36 am
Restore the Marina Marsh!
September 6, 2008 at 9:55 am
Randy Morrisey (ha)
Saying “not true” doesnt make it not true. Take a look at the plans, and the actual site of the balloon tract. Costco sits closer to the bay than the Home Depot will. That’s not really a disputable point.
Calling someone a troll for making a point, without namecalling is kinda trollike itself there, “randy”.
And yes, the Marina Center and the Walmart projects are two vastly different projects. You say “big box and parking only” when that simply is not true.
Is the proposed residential simply my imagination? The wetlands restoration is also there, even if its too small in your view.
“Randy”, if you want the “truth” to rage on, stop spreading lies.
September 6, 2008 at 10:20 am
I strongly suspect 9:55 is being more than a bit disingenuous when he or she says that the HD, based on the plans, is farther from the water than Costco. What about the HD parking lot, which never, ever seems to factor in when you’re listening to Marina Center proponents? Orientation? (i.e. Costco faces away from the water, and the bay seems to be very much an afterthought when you’re at Costco. I don’t suspect as much with the proposed Home Depot.) These half-truth talking points remind me very much of the Morrissey and Gans-speak that we hear so often in the media.
September 6, 2008 at 10:24 am
“Rose”, it does not have to be “business at any cost”. That’s where your logic falls apart and you become a cheerleader. The restrictions on ground floor residential over a capped toxic site are there for a reason. What do you think that reason is “rose”. Would you like to raise your children there? I’m not in favor of Costco being where it is either. There are lots of other places that big boxes can be put that don’t use up the remaining scenic and ecologically sensitive land on the bay. Your “business is good, any time, any place” mantra is getting old and shows your lack of critical thinking.
September 6, 2008 at 10:44 am
9:55-
Home Depot is the same in my mind as Walmart for that site because it is a giant warehouse business with a parking lot that could serve a stadium ON THE WATERFRONT. There is sites all over Humbodt that aren’t on the waterfront. You could put in a giant warehouse building and parking lot in many other locations. How about the State Theatre? The location in Fortuna is much better too.
Why the last remaining waterfront? Why does a small residential component make this okay?
It is zoned public. Please someone come up with a good reason why the zoning should be changed?
September 6, 2008 at 11:12 am
The answer is that the zoning should not be changed. It should remain “public use.”
have a peaceful day,
Bill
September 6, 2008 at 11:24 am
1044, the mall is on the waterfront. There are multiple business on the waterfront.
It was only zoned public use back the 80’s (dont worry, Bill if you dont know about this, youve only been in Eureka for about oh, fifteen minutes now), to allow UP to attempt to revitalize it for rail use (ohh another evil thing).
Look it up.
September 6, 2008 at 12:15 pm
Dear SN Troll,
The closest corner of the Costco parking lot is just a little over 400 feet from the bay while the balloon track is less than 200 feet at it’s closest point.
The wetlands restoration is less than 7 acres while it should be more like a minimum of 15 acres with a trail and park like amenities.
I would support you moving your SN offices there with condos above. No more retail, we are over built.
All of this, after Union Pacific is forced to clean it up completely, no capping.
September 6, 2008 at 12:23 pm
11:24am you guys always pick on Bill, but he’s more engaged in his community than any 10 of you. I don’t always agree with his ideas, but at least he has some. Unlike you who just whine and dis. gimme my Big Box! or you’re bad commie type person or worse a newcomer!
September 6, 2008 at 1:56 pm
So here is one of the problems if you build a very large paved parking lot. This will be part of the coastal Commission’s deliberations as well as enviornmental impact. 300 to 500 cars an hour is the estimated traffic flow. The amount of oil leakage and radiator overflow alone has the potential to cause a lot of runoff pollution into the bay during rainy season. That directly threatens our oyster industry. For those that don’t know, Humboldt Bay accounts for 60% of California’s oyster production. This is no small deal.
The next problem is the traffic nightmare created on 4th, 5th, Broadway and Washington streets. 300 to 500 additional cars and hour right in the most congested part of town. There is no adequate traffic plan. These are just a couple of the issues on a long list.
September 6, 2008 at 5:53 pm
Anon 11:24. Just because the bay used to be treated as an unsavory place to be in, a place to dump industrial sewage and pollution, doesn’t mean it was a good idea then. It certainly isn’t a good idea now, especially since those polluting users have gone belly up and skipped town. There are still plenty of locations on the Western shore for clean industrial use of the bay.
Waterfront property is very limited in Humboldt Bay, especially in Eureka. In fact, this property being so close to Old Town and of significant size is the last one that could include maritime public uses that don’t exist anywhere else in this area. The best use of that property would be as a place for people to visit, recreate, be entertained, have public gatherings, as well as specialty retail. Done right, it could complement the Old Town area as a “New Town”.
More importantly, by providing those quality amenities now lacking here, it would make the area much more attractive to business considering locating here with good paying jobs.
Those businesses need to se that they can recruit and retain skilled employees. Employees who will be looking for those amenties, along with good schools, low crime, and a clean environment. In addition those amenities will improve the quality of life for everyone in the area and make Eureka, especially the West side, a more desirable place to invest in and live.
September 6, 2008 at 8:41 pm
“The problem is that that location is too significant to sacrifice to a big box and parking lot.”
What? You don’t think that Home Depot on the bay would be seen in posterity as anything other than brilliant?
September 7, 2008 at 4:43 pm
So if you do not like the current plans for that parcel, purchase it from Arkley. Then you can build your money losing facility. And remember to enhance that wetland area. We will be watching to make sure you do it right. Or just shut up and let the current person paying the property taxes on that parcel do what is within the legal framework. Or should he just give it to you for free? Dream on.
September 7, 2008 at 5:11 pm
You’re right, Olphart. Surely Joe Kennedy can give “Baykeeper” the money for such an important cause.
September 7, 2008 at 5:15 pm
Ooops, wrong Kennedy – Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
September 7, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Anyway, lots of money -
September 7, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Don’t twist the facts oldphart.
Arkely is trying to change the “legal framework” of the property from public use and to avoid cleaning up the pollution. He bought it on the speculation that throwing a few zoo and pool dollars and giving airplane rides to the dumbos in Eureka would get the right city council elected to change the laws for his benefit.
Well the zoo and pool projects dazzled a few at the time but both those projects were poorly thought out and will have to be rescued with public money. The Marina Center is another bad plan.
September 7, 2008 at 7:26 pm
We need a big box in Shelter Cove, send em’ our way……
September 7, 2008 at 8:58 pm
You can have have em’ all
September 7, 2008 at 9:45 pm
NAN- it’s ok to for one to donate $$ to pools and zoos as long as it is the correct kind of person, eh? You’re saying it would better for both the zoo and pool if the $$ wasn’t donated. Would just Feel better if it wasn’t? Ah, unbridled emotion always makes sense.
September 7, 2008 at 10:24 pm
Here is an amenity that is really needed. The “Visitors and CONVENTION Bureau” can’t attract groups because there is not convention center to host an event. These groups meet all over the country and bring in a lot of money to the chosen community. The only thing they leave behind is money, balloons, and banners. They don’t compete for local business dollars. Some like it so much they move to the chosen community. They fly in on United and Delta, rent a car and see the sites. Not a bad way to let others know what a great place Humboldt County is. I heard someone mention an Aquarium similar to the one in Monterey only a bit smaller. What a great draw that would be. Tie it to the the HSU marine biology program. There has to be any number of ideas with great potential to add something important to our community.
Let’s hear some creative thinking!
September 8, 2008 at 11:59 am
To all the people who came here from SoCal and want HumCo to look more like where they came from, go back! what we need to do is develope a sustainable plan that fits our natural resources. We must encourage small local businesses that are into alternative power sources and are servicing the local economy. We could be an ecological haven if we would stop thinking about corporations and being like the rest of America. we live in a very special place that is like no other place on earth, lets keep it that way!