Who should pay for the improvements at Hamilton Place Mall?

Gas, Groceries, and now this! Let's just add one more thing to our list of "prices going up"! Why not? Everything, but wages are going up. Why is this project sooo important that they can't wait to do it? Why now when people are being bombarded with rising prices everywhere they turn...talk about sticking the knife in and twisting it!

It is absolutely outrageous for CBL to try to get shoppers to pay for their expansion!!

I will join the list of others who will refuse to shop there, should this proposal go through. I will gladly go to Dalton; Calhoun; Northgate...

I will change just for the principal of it.

You do realize CBL wants to make these improvements to help prevent "Global Warming". Yeah, they want to tear up some of the concrete jungle they've created and plant some trees. Don't you want to pay extra taxes to help the environment? And where do all the tree huggin' organic greenies shop for their brand names? CBL owns many malls in many states. BTW, who owns Northgate?

This is not new.

In West Polk County, Super Saver grocery store adds a ten percent "tax" to your end bill before taxes. So if you buy $10.00 in food, your bill is $11.00 ($10 plus the 10 percent) plus sales tax . With only 2 grocery stores in West Polk, (IGA and Super Saver)this is acceptable. Your alternative is going to Cleveland or Etowah if you don't like IGA and don't want to pay Super Saver the 10% "wholesale" tax.

Super Saver claims that the price marked for the products is the price they paid for it and the 10 percent "tax" is their charge.

Well, as an East Brainerd resident, I do most of my shopping at Hamilton Place. I really don’t want to see it become the next Northgate, or god forbid, Eastgate. I know there are a lot of greedy, corrupt people at CBL, but come on. They are talking about a half a percent. That’s fifty cents for every hundred dollars you spend. I definitely don’t want to see rent go up for stores at Hamilton Place. I used to work in one and the rent was outrageous. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the store made plenty of money and our boss was very fair with the wages, but higher rent forces out stores that might have been able to make it if they could have weathered the current economy until a democrat is elected in November. It is in our best interest to keep Hamilton Place vibrant and successful because the better they do, the more quality stores will want to open locations in Chattanooga. I would love to have the convenience of having some of the stores that are in Atlanta’s malls right here in town. I have always said that Hamilton Place would benefit from a parking garage. If they do that, they can continue to expand into the areas that are currently just flat parking lots. If they had two large complexes adjacent to the mall-proper, then everyone would have close parking and the remaining open space would be used for more retail development. It is better than tearing down homes and trees to clear new land for development when so much is currently available. If it comes down to a decision of not doing it versus the public paying for it, I am all for throwing in a few cents of every purchase towards building a much better complex that will attract high-end retail stores to Chattanooga.

Just further evidence of how our corupt local politicians help the rich get richer at the taxpayer's expense. Squeeze the little guy for more tax $$ while, a copration like CBL has Major Stockholders, such as Charles B Lebovitz with over Three million shares valued at $72 million. Hey Chuck sell all your shares and you will have nearly 3/4 of what you need, but keep your fingers out of my wallet.

Chattanooga City Council has clearly lost sight that they were elected to serve the will of all of the people, not just the wealthy.

Why don't they get some decent shops with decent clothes to buy because that is the reason no one buys much. All the styles are for teenagers! I'll shop somewhere else or not buy!

I'll pay extra taxes for the improvements. Only if I can get a percentage of the profits coming from it.

I will just shop some where else like Northgate, Dalton or Dawnsonville, GA. There not much at the mall anymore they are all pulling out and going to strip malls like Eddie Bauer and Kohls.

I'd like to know who in the corner office thought it would be a wonderful idea to ask people currently struggling with increasing gas and food prices to add a new tax just so a mall could "remodel". Obviously they don't have to do their own shopping. This probably displays the most greed I've seen in a long time beside the gas gremlins that keep rising the gas everyday.

CBL is a greedy company. If they want to make changes, they should have to pay for it. i do not shop at the hamilton mall, therefore i really don't care what they do, but i think it is unfair to make the shoppers pay for it. CBL needs to get a life

Why should we pay for a luxury tax when we are fighting to pay for necessities right now? CBL is a multi-million dollar company who can well pay for their own improvements. I work for a subsidiary of the Postal Service here in Chattanooga that is waiting to hear whether or not we will be closing this year. If we do, 800 employees will lose their jobs. Paying for a parking deck is not on my priority list! Praying I have a job for another year, living paycheck to paycheck and trying to find a way to afford gas for my vehicle & putting food on my table are priorities.

Shame on you CBL!! You are no better than the oil companies who make record profits each quarter and then say they have no control over the rising gas prices!!

I want to build a house. I do not want to pay for it. If the tax payers will pay for it, and I get a free house, I guarantee that the tax revenue to the city and state will increase because I will then be paying more property taxes. It would mean increased revenue for the government. I will call Senator Watson and Rep. McCormick to get a special law to do this for me.

Anyone else smart enough to want to do the same thing give these guys a call. Get a free house. But by all means please have the good sense to not vote for them again. This action by the government might not be illegal, but it is stupid, unfair, and unethical.

If CLS is able to pull this off, I for one will go elsewhere to purchase my clothes, etc. and I will encourage others to do the same. This is rediculous and is obviously greed. Maybe they should look at how this is preceived by their customers. LET'S GO CHATTANOOGA TO GEORGIA OR AT LEAST NORTHGATE!!!!!!!

somebody drank too much kool-aid... and it wasn't me.

No How, No Way! I spend enough in gas to get there. They already did one dumb thing by taking out the theaters, I don't want to pay for another one of their brainstorms. Northgate Mall is looking really good right now, or maybe I'll visit Georgia more often. It appears that CBL is getting even more greedy at a time when everyone is trying their best to survive with rising gas prices which is causing everything else to raise in price.

Why in the world should we the shoppers have to pay for the repairs and a parking garage for Hamilton Place Mall, CBL is making a killing with the amount of rent that the stores have to pay to even be there. If this goes through I will never return to hamilton place mall again. It sounds to me that CBL is just trying to make numerous businesses go out of business with such foolish, selfish ideas.

If the mall does not have enough parking then why did 2 new large restaraunts with their parking take up 2 huge chunks? It sounds like pure greed on part of CBL.I will go to Atlanta where the quality and quanitity of shops is far superior. Would be worth the price of gas to have better selection at a FAIR price.

I too rarely go to Hamilton Place, because the traffic is a nightmare, and its not near where I live.

If they can afford to expand the place, they can afford to pay for it!

With the rising gas prices I don't see a reason to go there, and if they try to stick the consumer with added taxes, I will never go.

The owners of that structure probably make a good profit. Why would they expect the public to help pay for repairs? With the economy the way it is, I don't have money to shop. We've got enough to worry about with gas prices and rising grocery prices. If they try to pass the expense onto the customers, I won't be shopping there anymore at all.

i live in georgia,and i try to go to hamilton place mall when i can,i do not think they need to make the people who shops there,pay this,can they possible ask us to,when most of our money is already going toward gas,so we can go to the malls near our homes.
with higher prices in gas and food,and clothes,you might see the malls not as full,it could happen.
christine

Why in the world would we the public pay for that? Most of us dont even go to that mall, I for one cant stand all the traffic and conjestion around that place. That mall is too big with too much crime around anyway. You put your life in someones hands going out there weather it be in an car accident, mugged in the parking lot, or just dealing with all the thugs who hang out there.