Jerry World Stadium Bust To Area Business

I've lost count of the number of comments I've gotten from ill-informed bozos telling me how wrong I am about some things I have said about the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. As in there are actually people out there who think that Jerry Jones could not have taken people's homes unless they willingly sold them.

And then there are the ones who have told me that I have no idea what an economic boon this stadium will be to Arlington, sparking all sorts of development. Unlike what happened in Irving during the decades that the former Cowboy Stadium sat in a blighted area that did not seem to economically benefit from the stadium.

And then this morning there was a letter to the editor, in the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in which an Arlington business owner, operating near the new stadium, begs to differ with those who think the stadium has been and will be a great thing for Arlington.

Below is the letter....

Business bust

Having a business for more than 27 years in the Lincoln Square Shopping Center along Collins Street, we have seen ups and downs, but nothing compares to the desperation since the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium opened. Wal-Mart can’t conduct business during events; Arby’s is giving away sandwiches to attract attention. Buffalo Wild Wings has a poor soul stand on the corner in 103-degree weather in a Buffalo suit just to attract customers back into the area.

Longtime stores such as Laura’s Closet, Paper Capers, Mexican Inn and Shady Oaks were forced to close because of the lengthy construction and lack of traffic along Collins Street. A recent poll of our customers revealed that people are more repelled by the stadium than attracted. Stores such as ours, Petland, and new stores like 5 and Dine are struggling heavily under the Jerry’s Palace construction deal with the city of Arlington that has reduced our exposure and traffic by 50 percent.

I call for the city and Jerry’s World to provide the businesses along Collins Street south of Interstate 30 to be subsidized 1 percent of gate and concession sales. The city and Jerry Jones can take responsibility for the businesses that helped build the stadium and will continue to support it through our property tax dollars, only to have our throats cut and still have to pay for it.

Paul Thomas,
Arlington