my guess, is #1 union vs. non-union......like ability vs. un-like ability

Walmart needs an act of congress and God's blessing to build somewhere but Costco slips in no problem

target is good...I can't imagine what kind of commotion would have been started if Walmart was suggested..

Win-Co is non-union.....so thats bad......

although we are screwed about our traffic at this point ........anywhere

I live right by the Riverwalk shopping area, where the proposed Target will be.  We don't need another Target when we have one 10 minutes away on Rosedale Hwy.  My guess is that eventually one of them will close, leaving a large vacant space to once again find a tenant for.  This shopping center was promoted as  'high end' retail.  Target is not high-end retail.  Once again Castle and Cooke are selling us on an idea that will no doubt change.  Years ago the Marketplace was also advertised as 'high end'.  Supercuts,  an insurance office, Jenny Craig, and a cell phone store are not high end.  It has taken almost 10 years to get nice stores in there, and that was only with the construction of the rose garden addition.  We are just now FINALLY getting a Williams Sonoma.

Not only is alidoremi correct about the Target on Rosedale, but there will soon be another (Super-)Target a bit further out in Rosedale, making three Targets within 10 minutes of each other. Can you name a single other place in the world where three Targets lie ten minutes apart? What happens when one (or more) shuts down? How long did it take for the Builders Square on Ming to be replaced? (Almost two decades.) How long did it take to replace the Albertsons on Columbus? (Almost a decade.) How long have "big box" stores downtown been empty? How long will it take to replace the Costco on Pierce, or the Wal-Mart on White, or any of the other "box" stores being abandoned?

I've heard a number of times that Bakersfield is a test market because of the city's demographics and I remembered how Jack in the Box tried to reinvent themselves as JBX.  I wonder since McDonald's is trying the same deal on White Lane if Target is trying that as well, to have the image of being upscale and not as dirty. 

  If they spread out the parking lot and kept it clean and eliminate the bargin bin departments, Target could look the part of a boutique.  It's like they're trying to merge the usual tourist trap premiums with a more functional environment. 

Would wants a $75 Bakersfield mug anyway?  The only reason I go to the Marketplace is to get some ice cream before a movie or go to Vons.  I don't browse at the surf shop or the piano store.  Would the william sonoma inspire as much ire? 

Having multiple Targets nearby is pretty standard in large cities. I used to live up near Sacramento and from my apartment I had 5 Targets within 15 minutes of me and they were trying to get approval for a 6th one. If I widened that radius to within half an hour of me, I could make it to an additional 4 Targets. So for Target, this density is not all that unusual. It's also not Target specific, I could also reach over a half dozen Walmarts, just under a half dozen Petsmarts, over a half dozen Home Depots, etc. Just pick your favorite box store and try the store locator for Sacramento or another large CA city and you'll see the trend.

What is really more telling here is the push for new development to continue when there is not interest in its original, intended purpose. I've seen Castle and Cooke back off on their solar developments from lack of interest. Now they back off on the high-end shopping center for lack of interest. This is just a reminder that the developers' motivation is to develop, not to stick to a plan.