[RP TownTalk] What grocery store?

[Chris Currie]

Lou, I apologize for my poor choice of words in opening my post yesterday
(I blame my day job as a marketing consultant for my reflexive tendency to
use provocative opening lines).  I didn't mean to imply that Cafritz is
planning to bring in a different tenant -- although I can easily see why
the use of the term 'bait and switch' left that impression.

I'm sure both Cafritz and Whole Foods desire to bring their agreement (a
lease, according to Alan, not a letter of intent or MOU) to fruition.

The point I was trying to make is that once the rezoning occurs, then it is
much less necessary for Cafritz to have Whole Foods as their anchor tenant.
 Whole Foods holds most of the cards up to that point; afterwards, Cafritz
holds a stronger hand than before.

Another reader also provided me with the text of a covenant stipulation
made with both Riverdale Park and University Park that requires Cafritz to
provide a specialty grocery store "comparable to" Whole Foods if, for
whatever reason, the Whole Foods deal doesn't materialize.  That provides
another layer of protection for those who are banking on an upscale grocery
to make the development palatable to them.

Of course, no agreement is completely iron-clad.  Reality is too
complicated to work that way.  If market conditions led Cafritz to bring in
a "specialty grocery store" that didn't meet a yuppie's definition of
"comparable to" Whole Foods in product offerings, service levels, etc.,
then it is hard to imagine the Town of Riverdale Park litigating that in
court -- or what the result would be.  Or how the development would benefit
the Town if the retail pad remained empty because no suitable grocery could
be enticed to open there.  Or what would happen if Whole Foods or another
upscale grocer made a go of it, and after five years, when the covenant
restriction ends, left town.

My argument from the beginning of the discussion about the Cafritz proposal
is that the development should stand or fall on its merits apart from
single-brand marketing.  Some people make reasonable arguments that it
does; others make a reasonable case that it doesn't.  I have my own views,
which are colored by the fact that I live in a neighboring municipality and
will not be as affected by the proximate impacts on nearby residents or on
the Town of Riverdale Park and its municipal finances.  I won't belabor
readers of this listserv with those views at this time since they are
probably of less interest than the question this thread started with.

Chris Currie
Hyattsville




Message: 2
Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:23:26 -0400
From: Lou King <lking at knob.com>
Cc: towntalk <towntalk at riverdale-park.org>
Subject: Re: [RP TownTalk] What grocery store?
Message-ID: <4F8AE7EE.8090501 at knob.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

Chris I would suggest that we also
beware of the unsubstantiated accusation and innuendo.

To my knowledge no one has provided any solid information to support the
suggestion that Cafritz plans on, or foresees, any change in the anchor
store of their proposed project.

Although everyone is free to express their opinion(s), when those
opinions are based on an underlying distrust of successful businessmen,
not facts, the distinction needs to be highlighted.

As we all know planting seeds of doubt, rumors, leaves others in the
position of defending themselves by trying to prove a negative. Innuendo
and rumor do take on a life of their own and if repeated often enough,
begin to influence people's opinion.

TownTalk, I think, has always been above that trying to use _facts_ to
inform people and their opinions.

Lou
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