HOUSTON -- Fireworks flew in downtown Houston Wednesday night where a vocal crowd met to hear from developers of a project that plans to put a Walmart near the Heights neighborhood.
The Koehler Street development project will be built on a vacant lot at Yale and Koehler, near Interstate-10.
The idea of a Walmart in that neighborhood has generated interest on both sides.
Opponents of the project believe it could bring crime, traffic congestion and noise problems to their neighborhood.
“We don’t want this traffic, we don’t want Walmart,” said one neighbor.
“When I found out there was a Walmart coming to the neighborhood, I was ecstatic,” said Heights resident Patricia Wunderlich. “I was very pleased.”
Houston Mayor Annise Parker organized the public meeting. She said this is part of her pledge to deal with the concerns of some neighbors. She invited residents, the project developers and Walmart to attend.
“We have been listening and we get it,” said Parker to the crowd of hundreds. “We want economic development in the city of Houston, but we don’t want economic development that either causes us more neighborhood problems down the road, or occurs in such a way that destroys the residential neighborhoods around it.”
The $75 million project could be complete by the spring of 2011. Walmart will be the anchor store, but it will not be the only store.
Developer Bart Duckworth of Ainbider Co. said the development could house between 25 and 30 stores.
“It will generate about 500 construction jobs in this project, the Walmart store alone will bring about 300 to 350 permanent jobs, they will be full- and part-time, but permanent jobs,” said Duckworth.
Duckworth also said the store will not look like a typical Walmart. It will have the architectural style of the Heights. There will be trees, large sidewalks and a jogging trail.
“With all due respect I don’t think most people in this room are concerned about sidewalk width or tree caliber,” said one Houston resident who was against the project. “We’re not here for that reason."
Other residents are concerned about the $6 million the city of Houston could reimburse the developers if they approve what’s called a 380 agreement.
“The city gets improvements that they otherwise couldn’t afford and the neighborhood gets improvements that they wouldn’t otherwise have and we get a project, or the neighborhood gets a project that it can be proud of and there is incremental tax revenue that’s generated,” Duckworth said.
City council members would have to approve the 380 agreement. There is not yet a date set for that vote.
