Development update opposite Carrefour

[Kaminari_Koori]

I drove by that area thats is currently under land clearing and development opposite Carrefour this morning..I actually spoke briefly with the developer..who kindly showed me the blueprints...so this whole area is basically going to be endless rows of small souvenir shops and food shops...about 90% at this time are accounted for, leaving only a few available....there will be a few bars acattered around and in his words the place will be similar to that Otop plaza....I asked him where Lotus fit in and he said that Lotus is NOT coming because of some agreement that Carrefour has in their lease re' competition...but he did say there may be plans for a "satellite" type (smaller size) Lotus shop being built further down that middle road, a few lots over going towards kata/karon.

 

[Todd]

Great./.. More shophouses, internet massageplanetes, and massage shops.. Presumably without any thought for parking as ever inch will be 'owned'..

Deep joy.

 

[Good gone girl]

Yes and no green space. Ideally, not even a crack where weeds could grow.

 

[Lizzi(:]

I just had my parents out visiting and they were shocked that no thought whatsoever goes into parking and there is no civil engineer that has to approve plans that will allow for parking, handicapped people etc.

 

[darkness234]

I would be very surprised as to how any business could obtain sole trading rights here in Thailand, particularly over land it doesnt even own...

 

[maurice]

Lets not also forget that all of this is being built over already existing swamp land...do you think for one second that any thought has gone into the inevitable flooding that will occur during the rainy season and how to prevent it?...yeah right! (and they want to build a tunnel here as well)....I am also amazed at how many of the same old shops..(as mentioned above)..keep going into these new shopping arcades and how they even survive..It's beyond me!...it almost seems like there must be one massage shop, t-shirt shop,etc and so on..for every person living here....do people really think they are going to make money with these endeavors?

 

[Moon Light]

I'm sure there was some monetary exchange that took place for that to happen

 

[72 mg]

Road access in Patong is already problematic at peak hours, Patong cant really handle much more traffic and shouldnt get any more big hotels/resorts/shopping centers IMHO.

Driving in peak hours is terrible, recently took me almost an hour to drop off some friends in Patong and back to Kathu. (Should be 20 minutes)

If Patong want to grow, they should improve road infrastructure first.

 

[Drunk Chicken]

I agree with you 100% however I feel that would be an immense undertaking...You would almost have to rip everything up and start from scratch...The unfortunate thing is that years ago when they first built everything, they not only didn't have the proper technology to do it all right from the beginning, but typically, nobody had the foresight to see the potential growth here and what you would need to do to build and improve along the way as things in general improved around you...

 

[Minda Now]

The mini tesco is opening across the road from the marked in nanai road

 

[Stormy]

that's why it's 3rd world
i am sure it is not any different in similar countries

 

[joejorob]

The land is too valuable to waste it on a parking lot.

I've always thought that if some one built a multi-storey parking lot, they would make a fortune.

 

[Corey]

Thought that myself, but when you see that a building here is pretty much a mulilevel carpark frame flimsily filled in, and what they can get in rental return out of a flat or shop, its much less profitable.
We would have done the same in our countries, in fact did, until governments mandated parking in order to approve developments. Since there is no real approvals here it aint gonna happen, and I predict that Patong will eventually choke on itself and values plummet as happened to the likes of Acapulco..

 

[Fisher_King]

Very well put!...I have very similar thoughts re' your prediction. There must be a hundred different things that this town could do with that land opposite Carrefour...whether it be some parking, or whatever....but why more of the same old shops?

 

[Amir H]

>>.but why more of the same old shops?

Simple economics.......cash.

I too thought quite a few years ago about a car park. I'm sure that Kata Karon tuk tuks would have something to say about this as allowing people to drive and park would be taking fares away from them somehow.

 

[Campbell]

When they built a new O Top down near the Beach Bar area and Luv U Long Time started Indian bar, I went down to have a beer there with him.
There was ample free parking and a sign saying so and I thought , 'Eureka!'...that if anything was gonna make that place work then it was its accessibility to drivers. The security checked where I was going and nodded that it was 'in house'.
The next time I went , security ambled over and I thought it'd be the same, but he said, "park here 40 baht".
I proffered 1,000 baht as I always do and he complained , " Mai me plian!" ( not have change, as if that was my fault) so I just shrugged and walked off.
The next time they were even charging scooters 20 baht ( while the 'free parking' sign was still up) and the roadside (free) was packed while the carpark near empty.
If the security were ordered to charge a fee, that was stupid, if they were freelancing that may be why I didnt see a ticket book amongst them
.
The next visit, maybe 5 months after opening, I had to drive on. The carpark was now a market , selling pretty much the same stuff as the shops and I had to think how pissed off you'd be renting a shop, only to have a tent at your door, selling the same stuff at half the rent.
No parking, paid or otherwise, in sight...
....and that pretty much sums up the de-evolution of parking facilities in Patong....