NIMBY Neighbors Prefer Hole in the Ground to Target

Earlier this week, there was a neighborhood meeting to discuss plans for a new, smaller-than-usual Target store next to Hilldale mall, in the large hole that was dug for the aborted Whole Foods project.

While many welcomed it, there were, predictably, some loudmouthed NIMBYs who oppose another big store. Wake up, folks, you chose to live by a shopping mall. What the hell did you expect?

One man expressed concern with their product mix, saying he doesn't want another outlet for the People's Republic of China. Others urged Target to pay livable wages.

Most of the overpriced clothing sold at Macy's is made in China (Indonesia, India, Vietnam and Mexico are also represented). I knew a young woman who worked at one of those overpriced Hilldale boutiques, and she did not make a living wage. As for the size of the store, were they this concerned over the Whole Foods proposal? How about the big Borders bookstore nearby?

I suspect that most of their objection is actually not to the size of the store (a design that Target has used in a few other urban settings), the source of their products or the wages they will pay, but to their target demographic. Most of the stores at Hilldale are seriously overpriced to keep out the riff-raff.

This project is golden. Target even agreed to put the parking underground and pay for all of it without TIF money. The extra customers will occasionally patronize the other stores at Hilldale, so the whole area will get a boost. If it's not good enough for you, move to Maple Bluff (no big box stores there).