{"id":4972,"date":"2014-08-26T20:49:59","date_gmt":"2014-08-27T03:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/?p=4972"},"modified":"2014-08-26T20:49:59","modified_gmt":"2014-08-27T03:49:59","slug":"could-eastbridge-turn-into-a-ghost-town-or-cleveland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stapletonion.com\/?p=4972","title":{"rendered":"Could Eastbridge Turn Into a Ghost Town or Cleveland?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"ghost-town\"<\/a>There are a lot of real estate<\/a> signs popping up all over Eastbridge, and it seems that those in the know, have already left. With the impending development of the Eastbridge Town Center anchored by King Soopers, complete with unnecessary gas station, Eastbridge residents are trying to get out now before their homes lose all value. \u201cI don\u2019t think I want to be here when we increase traffic, plus people walking around here to go to the 24-hour Soopers,\u201d says Eastbridge resident Mark Bell who is currently selling his home. \u201cSo, if others want to move here and have more confidence that it is not going to be a bad thing, more power to them. I just don\u2019t like what\u2019s going on.\u201d\nThe distress for Forest City, and Stapleton residents, is that if Eastbridge residents continue to leave, and fewer buyers become interested in that area of Stapleton, what will happen to the Eastbridge borough of Stapleton? \u201cThere is legitimate fear Eastbridge could become a ghost town,\u201d said real estate expert Zach Schmit. \u201cPrices will drop, people won\u2019t want to live here, and suddenly, we have a bunch of empty, foreclosed homes. It may seem a ways away now, but it could be where it is headed.\u201d Eastbridge residents are facing the dilemma. \u201cWe are trying to fight Forest City and Soopers right now,\u201d said resident Angi Hansen. \u201cSome people have packed it in and quit the fight, but we are going to keep fighting. If we lose, yes, there is a chance our once proud neighborhood will become a series of empty homes where meth addicts live.\u201d\nSome people think that a ghost town would be a step up from where it is actually headed. \u201cThe truth is, home prices around here are going to hit rock bottom,\u201d said real estate expert Jonathan Steiner. \u201cThen, you have a different socioeconomic element renting and buying here, and suddenly, you\u2019re Cleveland<\/a>. I think anyone would take a ghost town over that<\/a>.\u201d The problem doesn\u2019t just affect Eastbridge, but the rest of Stapleton. \u201cIf you\u2019re in Bluff Lake, do you want a \u2018Cleveland\u2019 as your neighbor?\u201d questions Steiner. \u201cSo, home values are affected there, then Westerly Creek, and soon, all of Stapleton falls, until the whole thing is just a mini-Cleveland. Except we won\u2019t even have LeBron James.\u201d\nResidents are still clinging to hope that Forest City will work with them to find a solution for both parties. \u201cRight now, there is no middle ground, it seems,\u201d says activist Scott Meyerholz. \u201cFrom their (Soopers and Forest City) perspective, it is a giant Soopers plus a gas station. From many residents perspective, they don\u2019t want a King Soopers. Is there a middle ground? Maybe a slightly smaller Soopers with no gas station, and then some sort of community input on the retail that will be in the remaining space? I really hope the two parties can work together to find a middle ground, and something that will be good for residents and businesses. Otherwise, we can continue to act like Republicans and Democrats in congress, and simply cry and yell when we don\u2019t get our way.\u201d\n]]>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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