AUSTIN, TEXAS
Proposed Super Wal-Mart
at Northcross Mall
Opposed by Neighbors

By Thom White

AUSTIN, Tex.  November 30, 2006 -- A great community meeting held on Thursday evening at the Church of the Nazarene (1006 W. Koenig Ln.) demonstrated that neighbors around North-Central Austin are concerned about and may oppose the opening of a Super Wal-Mart at Northcross Mall, the 31-year-old shopping center on the corner of Burnet and Anderson Lane.

An Austin American-Statesman story in the Nov. 30 edition said that a core of fifteen people started the "Responsible Growth for Northcross" group which organized the meeting, but it is apparent that the coalition opposed to a new Super Wal-Mart has grown far beyond that figure. An overwhelming turnout greeted sign-in tables and every seat available in the assembly room was filled on this windy, wintry night.

Jason Mittman and Paige Hill, two founders of "Responsible Growth for Northcross," asked concerned neighbors to contact the City Council and urge them to "direct the City Manager to suspend the approval of the site plan." This would not mean that the City Manager was rejecting the proposed Super Wal-Mart, but it would give City government officials time to consider the implications of developer Lincoln Property Company's plan.

Lincoln Property's plan is as follows: demolish parts of Northcross Mall and install a 217,000 square foot, two-story 24-hour Super Wal-Mart. They will also build a 3-story parking structure to bear the load of vehicles carrying newly-arrived Super Wal-Mart customers, and the remainder of Northcross will be renovated. A Walgreen's and a large physical fitness center may also move into the New Northcross Complex.

"Responsible Growth for Northcross" spokespeople insist, however, that, "This is not a done deal." The new site plan has not yet been approved by the City of Austin, nor has the permit for demolition. Lincoln Property currently plans for some demolition to begin on January 8, 2007. Members of the Steering Committee for "Responsible Growth for Northcross" said at the meeting that they are considering litigation against Lincoln Property's plan on two grounds:
1. The developer did not properly notify the neighbors around Northcross of the proposed Super Wal-Mart;
2. The developer may be misrepresenting the traffic impact on the neighborhood resulting from the Super Wal-Mart.

According to "Responsible Growth for Northcross" leaders, Lincoln Property and Wal-Mart have Central Texas's top land-development lawyers on their side, and this community group needs "big guns" as well to do legal battle. And so, this meeting was not simply an information session, but more of a "call to action": a call for funding to employ civil engineering experts to do research and attorneys to litigate against Lincoln Property, and at least put the brakes on the plan for the time being.

Northcross Mall is famous for its large indoor ice skating/ hockey rink, a favorite for the kiddies. The mall opened in the mid-1970s and has gone through ups and downs since that time. It used to offer more department stores and a multi-screen movie palace, but there have been cutbacks and closures at Northcross in the last few years. A Guitar Center moved in to occupy a good deal of the retail space on the northeast side of the mall, while many of the small boutiques that once encircled the skating rink inside are now closed. In 2006, the shopping center was purchased by Lincoln Property Company.

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