new stores aren't the solution...opinion based on overretailing article in the Plain Dealer (Link)

Link.

I’m sure some of you are familiar with the City View Center setup in Garfield Hts., near the intersection of I-77 and I-480. Giant Eagle, Wal-Mart, Dick’s, Bed Bath and Beyond, Chipotle, Steak and Shake, etc…to name a few stores have been setup there. Members of the community should gain pride for their cities, especially now that instead of looking over the 480 bridge and choosing to look down into Valley View you can now look forward into a booming retail area.

Will their be any benefit to the community? Don’t know, we haven’t seen the tax revenues (or haven’t had enough time) to see the benefits that could be gained. Yet, the proper deployment of tax-based services will should be the only method on which to judge the use of City View. We have setup this huge development on the edge of the city, not wanting to possibly strategically place new stores here and there or possibly renew current areas. To me, it seems more and more plausible that City View could become Garfield Hts. and the rest of the city will be left astray.

As a town gets poorer (in wealth, spirit, etc…) I believe it looks for the quick fixes of instant cash and does not look to renew the town as a whole. I.e. a new high school was built some years ago, and to my understand test results did not really improve. But at least the new weight room can’t be used by the citizens…perish the thought.

Can a poor city be picked back up by new retail stores considering the citizens overall can’t afford all the new toys? But, we will attract people from different areas of Cleveland. First, how well will we compete with those other places mentioned in post 5 in the following blog (link). Thanks, Derek, for helping me put the overload in perspective. Second, is it not a problem that we cannot afford to participate actively in their own new stores?

It seems GH brings in new things, with hopes that the shininess of their new paint is analogous with the spirit of the city. I attribute apathy and lack of change to this idea. Wow, do we need active participation in making this happen.

Cleveland. Make it happen.