Friday, October 18, 2019

AS H.E.B. SHELVES GO BARE, EMPTY FEELING DOWNTOWN...



(Ed.'s Note: City of Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez confirmed that officials have been exploring the idea of attracting a grocery-store chain to replace the H.E.B. downtown store. He said that assertions by some store supervisors that the city's historical restrictions prevented the store from expanding at the site are not based on documentation which shows that the store did not apply for permits and refused to reinvest downtown.

The store, he said, had remained profitable and said the majority of the people who are qualifying for the free bus passes to other H.E.B. stores in the city are mainly elderly on fixed incomes. Mendez did not reveal whether which, if any, grocery-store chains had shown any interest in doing business at the downtown site. H.E.B. corporate offices announced that it would close October 20, this coming Sunday.)

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

Take this to the bank, Juan: A cheap-ass Dollar Store will move into that location. And is that Cris Valadez in the top photo? LMAO

Anonymous said...

Soon the downtown will be a historical graveyard. Call Gene Fernandez for tours.

Anonymous said...

"This used to be..." will be the opening remarks on a downtown tour. No longer a thriving centro, but a place for well-heeled gabachos and gabacho wanna-be's. So much for the masses and those without transportation. Let them eat pricey pizza!

Anonymous said...

Too big for a pizza place and meskins don't eat pizzas. Ah a day care center.

Anonymous said...

Brownsville has given millions in tax rebates/reductions to attract businesses that ultimately failed and provided nothing but a big hole in the ground. (ie. Titan AKA The Titanic). Why doesn't our mayor Trey-mendous offer the same to preserve/reestablish a vital food service for the dispossessed and elderly of our city? Or does he only care about those who can afford valet parking for his pricey pizzas?

Anonymous said...

Coco hillbilly parrot wants a ropa de secunda at that location. Bring back las ropa secundas back! Coco want a cracker and biden /Sanders vergas!

Anonymous said...

Trey Mendez is climbing the proverbial "social" ladder of Brownsville, and he wants to rid the streets of his past. Instead of embracing his past and rooting for the underdog, he is a social wannabe who has put on a benign mask of indifference while he cringes at seeing his own past ghosts walk by his fancy and expensive pizza parlor windows. One would think that he would be compassionate and understanding - but, no, he is running as fast as his short legs can carry him from his roots. A food market source downtown is a primary concern of the majority who reside there. Yet he turns his back on them. To mis-quote Marie Antoinette: LET THEM EAT PIZZA!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Its a ploy to get rid of the riff-raff so that Trey Mendez and his RISTORANTE don't have to worry about low class people hanging around. The other businesses in the downtown buy from HEB on Elizabeth daily. But Trey orders his products from out of the US special delivery. No loss -big win for Trey.

Anonymous said...

A historical grave yard is true but a learning classroom for UTRGV business courses as to "WHAT NOT TO DO". Maybe zavapatas can "con" the higher education enchiladas to do something along those lines and save the city...

El monkey said...

heb will not sell this site to any other grocery store chain por favor changos

Anonymous said...

Trey Mendez has no answers. He's not interested in helping the Mexicans; he's not Juan, he's TREY! ja ja ja

Anonymous said...

In order to upgrade or renovate any property in the downtown historic overlay means that all upgrades and renovations are subject to review by the city Historical District authorities. That group has proven to my friends to be a bunch of power-mongers who slow upgrades and renovations because they want everything to fit their standards. They want materials to be the same as when the building was constructed....sometimes disregarding insurance requirements related to hurricanes or other insurance concerns. The Historical overlay of the city is wide and I would never attempt to renovate property because of the interference by city historical persons. Perhaps H.E.B. is all to familiar with these city requirements and simple want to get out of the historical overlay.....I would.

Anonymous said...

H.E.B. Does not believe in Brownsville. Neither do I .

Anonymous said...

Was a dump full of expired food from all the other stores. Good riddance.

Anonymous said...

PIZZA, CHEESE MADE FROM POWDERED MILK.

Anonymous said...

TREY YOUR CROUTONS ARE OVERCOOKED.
YOUR CHEESE FROM POWDERED MILK.

Anonymous said...

They need to get rid of the historic restrictions as it is a pain in the ass to any business. They need to see how our most successful big city in Texas does it. Anyone can build a space alien looking house, next to a 10 story business building, and next to a 5 story condo building, and then next to a Victorian style home. What they need to do is build a 10 story parking garage and give Whole Foods a chance to level the old HEB and build 7 stories high on that limited space and make it the best damn Whole Foods in all of Texas. These ignorant no class, no education mayor and commissioners (obviously Cracker Jack box education) need to think outside the damn box! Land is running scarce in this town. And prices on the rise despite salaries staying the. Might as well start doing what bigger successful cities running out of land are doing, and they need to lift all restrictions and build up to the sky and go green!!!! All those empty buildings down town need to be leveled and made into high rises, affordable housing, and go green!!! Everything LEED and solar concerning new construction from now on as our grids are getting overloaded and these damn windmills in Cameron County are harvesting energy for San Antonio. San Antonio! Those damn windmills you see when landing at Valley international harvest energy to take it elsewhere. What Brownsville needs to do is make this the best damn innovative city in all the coast. We have a garden spot of a beach and climate that needs to attract business and more eco tourism instead of polluting it with LNG bullshit! They need to make Brownsville truly stand out against all the rest of coastal cities. How is that? Innovation! These Cracker Jack commissioners and mayor need to get their asses out of the ghetto and mind into research!!!! Get educated and your hand outta the cookie jar and stop the me me me and my business and my money attitude!!!! Research you ignorance of a waste of space! Ask and find out how did Andalusia and Seville do it to go solar? How long will it take for PUB to convert to a PS10 too? What new technologies in solar are out there that are better than PS10? In the mean time what building ordinances can be lifted for new commerce? What LEED and green ordinances for construction can we impose? While PUB goes PS10 let’s pass ordinances that all new homes must be LEED, fully solar, and 4 bd 2 bath 2-4 car garages and up. This bullshit that homes are 3 bd 2 bath and 1 car garage is ridiculous. Just go into all these subdivisions at night!!! Cars on the lawns and littering every book and cranny on the streets. The pay is low in Brownsville so lots of people live together to survive. Don’t keep building 3/2/1 or 3/2/2 when land prices and home prices are on the rise. What we have here are elected officials that can’t think and do shit other than stuff their own wallets. Lift those damn shitty city ordinances and building restrictions. Think for once of all the things that will plague the city as it grows and plan, plan, and plan accordingly!!!! Ignorance is not bliss! It is a big headache named Brownsville TX!!!! Tired of ignorance and people sitting on their ass and folding their hands!!!!

Anonymous said...

To 7:35 AM.....Pretty good post, but it is "nook and cranny", not "book and cranny". Enter this as a correction to your English lexicon of idiomatic expressions.

Anonymous said...

@October 18, 2019 at 2:01 PM

"a ploy to get rid of the riff-raff"
You just don't get it pendejo they're talking about "YOU"

Anonymous said...

@October 18, 2019 at 2:01 PM wanna be kardashian sista

This idiot wants to be like the KARDASHIAN siters wants to be everywhere que estupido

Anonymous said...

To @11:13am the b is right next to the n and typing with thumbs really fast half asleep causes typos. No seas un pendejo! Sabes muy bien que te cala que no tienes common sense and that you aren’t genius enough to type this up. That’s an example right there of someone that lacks education. A guy with no common sense hating on a typo. Typical insect in a jar trying to pull the other insect back down to their ignorant corner. Go try to school an idiot with no education on idiomatic lexicons that is the NOT the Gouda and master of genius! No me vengas con tus pendejadas naco Brownsvilleño sin educación. Ni sabe este vato lo que es un pinche PS10 del mano de su ignorante niño educado por la ignorancia en BISD a el PS10 en lugares de Andalucía.

Anonymous said...

Trey cheap wine and POWDERED milk CHEESE PIZZA. Waste of money. 10.00 dollars bottle of wine. So, it does not matter where he buys it from. FOOD taste and presentation, awful.

Anonymous said...

Hey, what about La Michocana? They cater to Mexicans! Move all those rinky dink shops at the Old Majestic Theater and refurbish and remodel the Majestic Theater to the way it was when the late Joe Trevino was the manager. That was a beautiful theater where many of us met our future spouses during a date on Sunday. Ahorita parese el parian de Matamoros! Get rid of all the stores that occupy Azis, Joy Lee, J.C. Penny, Three Sisters, Neisners, Hargroves,
Darcys, Edelsteins, Sears, Batsells, Western Auto, Higgis Café, Fisher's Café,Kress, Woolworth, Grants, San Shu, Queen Theater, New Yorker, Zakes, Pearl Brothers, Antony's, etc - old buildings and remodel them to the same pride and joy those owners had of their shops. And bring the boys back to hold up the post office walls as they stood with their foot on the wall and watching the girls go round and round Elizabeth Street on Saturday night. That is what it will take to really revitalize downtown Brownsville, Mr. Juan Mendez - not Pizza places or more bars on Adams like before. Someone get to work and do what they promise when they are searching for votes.

Anonymous said...

True Méndez PIZZA is sickening CHEESE LOOKS awful. People look at PIZZA then look at the price. Taste it and look at the price. Bad choice. We took it to go and threw it next to his rat trap outside. The rats walked PASS the PIZZA into the trap. Smart move!

Anonymous said...

You forgot that shoe shine shop next to Oyster bar and in front of western auto and batsells... and radio shack and singers and firestone and sears and that coffee shop on the corner across majestic with a portable jukebos on each table...

Anonymous said...

@11:39 wow you are the dumbest nostalgic individual on the planet. Get with the times, the majority of those companies went bankrupt and declared bankruptcy or about too again soon (jcpenney). Nobody cares about the good old days because they are obsolete with the increase of technology (Netflix and amazon). We care about actual growth, technology, and real jobs to put all these Cracker Jack Box degree holder students from TSC/UTB to work with real careers. Fuck this store business BS downtown. These owners go under in a few years. So Trey and the boys need to start offering more than overpriced pizza and boxed wine. The city’s grant department needs to start writing grants, use that money to level buildings, and make them green. They need to attract solar power and green type of companies, tech, and biomedical too. Get rid of those damn historical ordinances. They are ruining new business and city growth. The ordinance should only be left for a building that is over 100 yrs old and already in tip top immaculate condition. But not be used for one that the owner wishes to update and modernize or level out.

Anonymous said...

I think you think you are in austin at 10:51am, or want to be in austin while you're with your parents staying overnight, rent a motel room or stay at the island, quite day dreaming and go back to austin, to your job serving hot dogs and hambergers.

Anonymous said...

@October 20, 2019 at 10:51 AM

"DO NOT DISTURB" What are trying to do, what are you saying? Down here we even have the whites voting democrat and for our compadres, you are advocating a change, are you nuts, that will never happen.

Anonymous said...

Trey sucks as mayor. FOR his speech is all about the future. He has done nothing since he has been in Office. Except the 2 house he burned down next to a fire station.

Anonymous said...

Trey's rat traps are not working. The rats have breached the door and eat inside.

Anonymous said...

Building up is not the answer. Making life affordable is. Downtown has become a war zone between Trey Mendez and the people who have lived and worked and eaten there for generations. At least Ricardo's has good food at a good price without a friggin dress code and an upturned nose.

Anonymous said...

If we were in L.A. or NYC or Chicago Houston they would think - Ah a food pantry or a meals on wheels center or offer it to an organization to help the downtown citizens but NOOOOOOOO the first question these idiotas think is "how am I going to benefit from this golden opportunity". Pinches jotos that's all they are nothing else...

Anonymous said...

Brownsville is like most towns, in that the downtown commercial area died, when strip malls and enclosed malls move retailing closer to their customers. This is not going to reverse itself...ever!

rita