54°F
weather icon Cloudy

Land sale for grocer not in city’s best interest

Boulder City voters will have a chance to weigh in on whether or not the city should sell 16.3 acres of land for the development of a shopping center, primarily a grocery store. From a resident’s standpoint, a second grocery store would be nice, competition is often good and choice can benefit the consumer.

The real question is: Is it a want or need? Suppose a new grocery store was built, likely, most everyone would flock to this new establishment to check it out, and it would be expected to be large, modern and inviting.

With the sudden lack of business, it wouldn’t surprise me if Albertsons decided to exit and close their store, leaving us with what we had to begin with — one grocery store.

Frankly, there isn’t enough business in our relatively small community for two grocery stores. Already, some frequent WinCo, Costco, Smiths and others. Therefore, I have several ideas.

Number one: Ask the parent company of Albertsons (soon to be Kroger) if they would be interested in a land swap. Provide Albertsons with the 16.3 acres of vacant land in question in exchange for the property that Albertsons currently resides upon. Build a new police and fire administration facility on the present site.

The current Albertsons location would be close to perfect for a new police department. It would also facilitate the fire department’s desire to reduce the response time to the north side of town. Albertsons would build a new supermarket on the 16.3 acres.

This new supermarket could be a Pavilions brand, a larger version of what we now have, which would enhance the shopping experience. It would be a win-win-win. Boulder City would have a new, modern grocery outlet, Albertsons would not have to deal with a direct competitor, which provides an incentive to invest and remain, and we would have a new state-of-the-art police and fire station.

Number two: Consider selling or leasing the property to a limited brand or specialty brand market such as Gelson’s, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts Farmers Market, etc., instead of a direct competitor to Albertsons. This would provide a wider variety of goods beyond what Albertsons offers and, at the same time, not directly compete with them.

Number three: Lease the property rather than sell it. We can still dictate what kind of retail operation is installed, and we get to keep the land with an income into perpetuity.

And, let’s not forget, Albertsons does a great job; their employees are well-trained and considerate, with reasonable prices, sales incentives and senior discounts. Albertsons has also supported our Emergency Aid program with generous donations. I can’t think of a better relationship that our town has.

Why would we want to reduce the amount of business that they have? Instead, we should help promote their business.

The opinions expressed above belong solely to the author and do not represent the views of the Boulder City Review. They have been edited solely for grammar, spelling and style, and have not been checked for accuracy of the viewpoints.

G. Kevin Savord is currently a professional pilot and former small business owner. He can be reached at gksavord@gmail.com.

Don't miss the big stories. Like us on Facebook.
THE LATEST
EVANS: I’m in love with my car

I know it’s no longer considered a “correct” thing to say, but I missed the sound and the vibration of an internal-combustion engine while driving electric cars.

Kids and calendars and too many events

I knew that becoming a parent would require my hobbies to take a backseat, but I didn’t realize that my children would be busier than I’ve ever been in my life.

Boulder City staff encourages resident feedback

City staff wants to hear from you, help you, and continue our quest to make Boulder City the best place to live, work, and experience enjoyment in Southern Nevada.

USA’s strength comes through cooperation with love

Perhaps you believe that bipartisan cooperation is not possible. Ninety-five percent of the time legislation in Joe Biden’s presidency was bipartisan.

Good sportsmanship serves us well in life

Good sportsmanship is hard to define. Its hallmarks include winning without gloating, losing gracefully and respecting everyone involved, including opponents, coaches, officials, fans and administrators. In the heat of competition, will your better nature rise to manifest the good sport in you? Or will you instead listen to the negative voices and be a poor sport? Many youths and adults in our town recently had a chance to discover the answers to those questions when faced with a startling development.

Time to make a move

This is probably one of the most difficult columns I will have to write during my tenure as editor of the Boulder City Review. And that’s because my time at the helm of the paper is coming to an end.

U.S. residents better duck

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. That, dear reader, is an example of “ab-DUCK-tive” reasoning.

Feds should force California’s hand on water use

California officials continue to be the lone holdout on an agreement among seven Colorado River states to cut water usage. Despite imposing numerous “deadlines” for such a deal, federal officials have yet to intervene. They must reconsider if the thirsty Golden State refuses to budge.