Gothamist: Red Hook Tension Over Ikea

Jimmy

Mon, 26 Jun 2006 12:28:15 -0500

Why do people think that New York City residents should have to pay more than suburbanites for basic goods like food, clothing and furniture? The reason that people left the city is that they could have a better life in the suburbs. If bringing a little of the suburbs into the city is what it takes to make it more affordable and livable, why the opposition?

Joe

Wed, 09 Feb 2005 00:44:33 -0500

Basically want to point out that there is an IKEA in Elizabeth, NJ. Those are of us from NJ certainly do not consider Elizabeth as a "hyper gentrified" region of our state. Not by any means whatsoever.

mike

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 18:15:58 -0500

"kiss me baby ikea": I think you miss part of the point -- it's not simply about the "evilness" of the corporation that makes this a bad idea. It's the fact that this is very simply a bad use for the land in question, *and* we're further giving away control of our communities to corporations who have no stake in them. "Captain Red Hook": so we should bulldoze those potentially beautiful warehouses and replace them with a warehouse that will invariably be uglier, and with parking lots? And give the surrounding neighborhoods lots more traffic and pollution to boot? They're already saddled with the BQE. So there's no other possible uses for the area besides an Ikea? Wow, that's some expansive thinking there.

Captain Red Hook

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 15:34:39 -0500

Prime waterfront square footage....Walk around Red Hook much? It's mostly abandoned, desolate crumbly warehouses. Not very many people live there...except for that crazy old man who lives in that old fisherman's shack by the water (watch out for him! He eats children!) Many movie studios set up their sound stages there for the simple fact that there's so much unused space.

honey

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 14:27:50 -0500

look at the picture of the plan--all that prime waterfront squarefootage being taken up by the Ikea PARKING lot--that's a crime--put the parking lot somewhere else--put the ikea somewhere off the waterfront--put some mixed income housing and some shops and or a little park on the waterfront. put ikea a block or two back from the waterfront.

kiss me baby ikea

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 14:04:45 -0500

I still think Ikea can't be compared to the likes of Home Depot or Wal-Mart. Ikea is very much a European company, and actually caters more to the urbanite than most other houseware chains. Most of Ikea's inventory caters to living efficiently in small spaces, which is the antithesis of sprawl. It doesn't scream "red state suburban soccer mom" as much as a Home Depot. Anyway, it's our turn. American imperialism has put our McDonalds and Wal-Marts all over the globe; yet we raise a fuss when a European company puts their business here. And one that sells cool cheap kitchenware, at that!

Ram

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 13:40:37 -0500

NYC is certainly becoming just another homogenized American city. When urban flight reversed, and the suburbanites flocked back to the cities, they recreated in urban areas what appealed to them about the suburbs. Notice the Home Depot in Chelsea.

cheap furniture

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 12:57:41 -0500

As far as big corporations go, I'd much rather see an Ikea than a Wal-Mart, Starbucks, McDonalds, etc.

mike

Tue, 08 Feb 2005 12:33:11 -0500

No, actually I think the anti-Ikea folks are trying to do is prevent NYC from becoming nothing more than suburban sprawl -- choked with traffic, dominated by bigbox and chain stores, devoid of character and vitality. While Red Hook probably could use some development and jobs, it will not find salvation in parking lots and big corporations.