Originally Posted by
WhyFi
There are positives and negatives, but I think that it's a shame when more culturally unique neighborhoods are replaced by the same ol' **** that you run across in Anysuburb, USA.
There was a huge mess in a part of Denton right next to UNT around a decade ago. Basically what amounted to a bunch of bars, some older small businesses, a beer store, a unique independent pizza shop I used to hang out at with motorcycle buddies, etc. A few other buildings on the lot that became one coffee shop after another. But, it was part of what was considered the Fry St. area. They decided to buy up all the lots, raze the unique businesses, and build a Walgreens. Because the world needs another Walgreens.
The worst part? AFTER all the businesses were slowly pushed out and buildings were leveled, Walgreens found out the city would not let them have a drive thru pharmacy, so they backed out. It sat for years until someone finally built the ubiquitous housing on top of retail space.
So now it's overpriced student housing with retail chain stores underneath it. Very exciting and unique. I can't say what it replaced was super valuable to the community, but it was a part of its college town charm. Now it's a part of modern college town housing herpes.
EDIT: Cannot be trusted. The pharmacy in question was actually CVS.