Nasty rumor about ames dining
- Thread starter CYVADER
- Start date
Even though they took "precautions" (i.e. raising the site elevation of the store), building in a flood prone area still cost Walmart.
It was obviously a risk they felt was worth taking. Nobody forced them to build a new store here. If the city would only let them build there and they were too worried about flooding, they wouldn't have done it.
The issue is that Walmart is built in an area that was designated as the place for water to go. Yes Walmart and Target built there buildings higher so they were not badly affected, but the water still has to go somewhere. When McGees was built it didn't need to be built up because there was lower lying ground behind them.
I've been in Ames for a long time. Squaw Valley north of town, where there is no development was higher than recorded during previous floods. I'm no fan of the South Duff Revitalization plan, but it had little effect in this particular flood. Too much rain caused the flood, that stupid super walmart had nothing to do with it.
While the City controls zoning, businesses make a decision on where to build. Further, the Feds control flood zones and are generally expected by cities to regulate flood prone areas by declaring them a part of a floodway or flood fringe. FEMA runs the flood insurance program and requires the cities to do certain things or get kicked out of the program. Even if the City decided today to create a different commercial district (tough to do considering the transportation infrastructure already in place) all of the businesses on S Duff would sit right where they are because they already have a right to be there. The only way to force the issue would be to buy them all out. I'm sure that would be a popular plan with Ames tax payers...
Please explain to me how O'Malley's food is "Americanized" and "no different than Carlos O'Kelly's."
But the CITY decided to build a new water park right on the bank of Squaw Creek, which is obviously in floodplain (probably a floodway), and the CITY decided to pave SE 16th Street inevitably to attract commercial development right on the bank of the Skunk River. The City is allowing these floodplain areas to be rezoned from agricultural or some other designation to commercial, to allow for new commercial development. Like was mentioned earlier, when these areas are built up above the floodplain, the water, when flooding occurs, is displaced and forced downstream to other areas. I have heard from other that people downstream from Ames on the Skunk River are starting to see increased flooding on their farm fields, and the City of Cambridge saw flooding last week that reached higher levels then it did in 1993.
You are correct that FEMA has control over what is and is not defined as floodplain, and that the city only has control over zoning, but the City is continually allowing for areas that FEMA has defined as floodplain to be rezoned.
Back to the original post, I've been to M&Ms perhaps half a dozen times in 10 years. Personally, it's not a loss to me, but I don't like to see Ames businesses go away. Here's the link to the Ames Trib story Mid-Iowa Newspapers - Flood closes O'Malley & McGee's for good this time
I like La Fuente and Carlos O'Kellys, just not often. Two things I most remember about M&M: seeing Dan McC and his wife there once, and having to pay extra for a second bowl of chips without being told there'd be a cost.
I like La Fuente and Carlos O'Kellys, just not often. Two things I most remember about M&M: seeing Dan McC and his wife there once, and having to pay extra for a second bowl of chips without being told there'd be a cost.
Those few acres where the aquatic center is being built the dirt was brought in to bring the aquatic center above the flood plane and I'm sure that just those few acres isn't what caused the flood waters to rise over duff avenue or anywhere else in Ames let alone the hundreds of farm fields that are flooded off of the south skunk? I'm sure if this was the case then the DNR or city of ames would've agreed to put the water park there. Well oh hell, raising this base up 14 feet is going to flood duff we minus well do it anyways. Whether it was raised or not, Duff was prone to flooding.
You’re probably right; the Aquatic Center probably did not cause Duff to flood. The point I was trying to make is that when you make precedence in allowing these floodplains to be built up such as was done with Target, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Thesiens, Aquatic Center, etc., your going to force that water that once sat there during floods into different locations. Most of the floodplain in Ames is undeveloped, but you have large areas of land along the Skunk River between Lincoln Way and Highway 30 that remain undeveloped, and will undoubtedly be used for commercial purposes at some point in the future. Most of the land along the newly paved SE 16th Street and back towards Theisens is owned by Hickory Park, and I highly doubt their intentions are to continue to farm it, as they have already sold a portion of it to Theisens. You also have the rumors about Menards moving into the old Cyclone Truck Stop location. We are looking at the inevitable truth that more land is going to be built up, and more water is going to be pushed to the south, because Ames continues to allow these lands to be rezoned.
I used to work at O'Malley's and personally I don't see why people like it so much. I mean sure the first Monday of every month I could why people would want to go there to get cheap fajitas. As far as talent goes though the cooks there weren't all that impressive they were just ISU students. When I worked there I can only remember two chefs there. One was my boss the other was ok at best.
Personally I am biased against O'Malley's because of how the management treated me there but there was no great talent there as some of you claim. Just a bunch of ISU students that worked their butt off to pull off good decent meals. I my opinion if you want to eat mexican then there is no other place in Ames than La Fuente.
Personally I am biased against O'Malley's because of how the management treated me there but there was no great talent there as some of you claim. Just a bunch of ISU students that worked their butt off to pull off good decent meals. I my opinion if you want to eat mexican then there is no other place in Ames than La Fuente.
Somehow, I feel that those posts referring to "talent" weren't in reference to the cooks...
Somehow I feel that those posts referring to "talent" weren't in reference to the cooks...
My bad then who are they referring to?
My bad then who are they referring to?
