Walmart coming to Helotes, AGAIN. (San Antonio, Canyon: house, neighborhood, buy) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

kittykat13 · 10-13-2011, 06:22 AM

Appears this has not been posted.... Recently read in the Express News/mysa.com, Walmart is coming to Helotes. The last time I heard this news was in 2005/2006, and back then there was a lot of controversy about this. Walmart was never built. Since then, there are different city officials involved, and it seems like this is actually going to happen. I have mixed feelings about this. The biggest concern is the traffic. Do any of you live in the local area, and what's your take on the subject? This is the link to the local news: Wal-Mart revisited: Helotes hears big-box design plans - San Antonio Express-News

sapphire · 10-13-2011, 06:31 AM

I'm sorry to see it happen, but honestly, I don't get the whole big deal about Helotes. What the hell am I missing????? It's nowhere near as charming as Boerne EVEN WITH Boerne's Walmart and Home Depot, etc. To me, it's an extension of Bandera Road, and there is already a Wal-mart on Bandera.

Mom2Feebs · 10-13-2011, 06:41 AM

I kinda feel the same way. But I hate Wal-Marts in places like that anyway. Makes me so dam*ed mad. Any charm it has or would potentially have is gonna be right out the window.

SnappyBob · 10-13-2011, 07:08 AM

Beorne has a Walmart. I think Hondo has a Walmart. Floresville has a Walmart. Kerville has a Walmart. Even Fredericksburg has a Walmart. What makes Helotes so special that they don't have to have a Walmart. Just because it's a small town just northwest of the San Antonio city limits doesn't make it special. If Government Canyon was south of San Antonio they would have filled it up with trash from the northside suburbs. After Walmart gets settled in, I say we make Govenment Canyon a landfill for the growing population in northwest San Antonio and beyond.

majormadmax · 10-13-2011, 07:58 AM

Both Boerne and Hondo have Super Walmarts, the latter was one of the last nice "regular sized" Walmarts until a few years ago (Boerne's was like that as well).

Keep in mind that Boerne has a population of 10,471 (2010) and is miles from the nearest Walmart. Kerrvile is twice that large and again, there is no Walmart nearby. Same with Floresville, although its popular is closer to Helotes.

My point is that Helotes has numerous Walmarts within a half hour of it, there's one at Culebra and 1604 as well as farther south on Bandera Road in Leon Valley. Even the one at 1604/281 is well within 30 minutes. Why Walmart feels the need to put one across from O'Connor HS is beyond me! That area is already a traffic nightmare with two schools (O'Connor and Kuentz Elementary) trying to feed out onto Bandera Road in the afternoons.

But more importantly, Walmart has to learn that not everybody wants one of its stores--even a smaller one as is being proposed--built in their backyards!

TexasRedneck · 10-13-2011, 08:04 AM

Way I look at it, it's up to those living there. If they don't want it, they don't want it. Since I don't live in the area, I'm not going to really say much one way or another. Personally, I doubt I'd want one near me if I had the choice - frankly, it's just a big overpavement and impersonal box with folks that, for the most part, barely get paid.

But, that's just me.....

hschulz3 · 10-13-2011, 11:00 AM

I live in Helotes. I have nothing against Wal-Mart. Go there all the time. However, I don't see a need for one here. The one at Culebra is plenty close, as is the one down Bandera Road. The new site is less objectionable than the Scenic Loop site, but it will tie up traffic in that area (unless they rework the roads - perhaps Wal-Mart is willing to pay for that?). By the way, is this going to be where the Cornyvale is held?

SnappyBob · 10-13-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hschulz3

I live in Helotes. I have nothing against Wal-Mart. Go there all the time. However, I don't see a need for one here. The one at Culebra is plenty close, as is the one down Bandera Road. The new site is less objectionable than the Scenic Loop site, but it will tie up traffic in that area (unless they rework the roads - perhaps Wal-Mart is willing to pay for that?). By the way, is this going to be where the Cornyvale is held?

I doubt that Walmart will be paying for road rework anymore than the companies that buy up land and build subdivisions pay for road upgrades that would not be needed if they had not changed the traffic climate in the area. They should, and Walmart could do it without raising prices too much. They have very deep pockets. Builders on the other hand would probably have a hard time charging the kind of prices that they would have to charge for what they are providing in most of these subdivisions if they had to pay for the traffic control and road upgrades. The city and the builder would much rather stick the taxpayer with those costs.

doss1 · 10-13-2011, 01:44 PM

It will be interesting to see how things play out with this. Yes, other small (and scenic) towns have Walmarts, but as MMadMax said, there are no other Walmarts for miles. But, if folks don't want a Walmart in their neighborhood, they need to band together and let their voices be heard.

majormadmax · 10-13-2011, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hschulz3

By the way, is this going to be where the Cornyvale is held?

I doubt it, I believe it will be in the area behind where the bank and Starbucks now sit.

As a matter of fact, on Saturday mornin we were sitting in the drive-thru at Starbucks and I noticed that the house that used to be next door is now gone!

I suspect they are already clearing a path for the store....