Pabst Farms intends to build mall regardless of economic realities.
Cheers to the Oconomowoc residents who refrained from coughing sarcastically when told Tuesday night at a special meeting held at Olympia Resort that Pabst Farms Developers intend to open a mall in 2010. From the Milwaukee BizJournal:
While he didn’t name any retailers, city economic development director Bob Duffy had earlier shown a slide that identified Kohl’s, Target, Michaels crafts, OfficeMax and Petco. Elias showed a similar Developers Diversified project that had tenants including Super Target, TJ Maxx, Hobby Lobby, Borders, World Market and DSW shoes.
Those later drew criticism from some residents, who noted those stores are available in nearby Delafield and Johnson Creek
One of the many reasons I’m grateful not to be a traditional journalist in today’s climate is that I’m not sure I would have been able to sit in that meeting and not cough the word "bullshit!" into my sleeve.
From the same article:
Elias acknowledged that retailers have “slowed store growth” and his company needs final approval of Oconomowoc officials before it can sign any retailers. Developers Diversified, in turn, will need contracts with retailers before the developers can secure financing for the project, he said.
You don’t have to be an award-winning journalist to see how utterly hopeless that situation is but it helps.
