Bumperactive is the proud official bumper sticker provider of Responsible Growth for Northcross, the Austin, Texas, community group fighting for livable and profitable redevelopment of Northcross Mall in our hometown. Twenty-two percent of the revenue from sales of these stickers benefits the cause per our revenue sharing program. Single stickers are $4.50 (meaning RG4N gets a buck), and we have volume rates for larger orders.
If you've arrived at this page, you're probably already painfully aware of Dallas-based Lincoln Property Company's plan to turn the mall surrounded by six residential neighborhoods into the biggest Wal-Mart Supercenter between Waco and San Antonio. You know how Lincoln shotgunned the site plan through the city planner's office in violation of public notice requirements and at least one major zoning rule. And you know that somebody connected with the development hired a push-polling firm to promote the Wal-Mart plan under the pretense of an objective phone survey (Listen to the push-poll call here). In short, you already know this development deal stinks.
But more than that, in a town where "Keep Austin Weird" is our civic rallying cry, plunking 225,000-square feet—that's four football fields—of discount-retail conformity smack in the heart of the city just doesn't make any sense. Wal-Mart is a lot of adjectives. We'll leave you to come up with those on your own. But we can certainly all agree that "Weird," indisputably, irrefutably, Wal-Mart ain't.
That's why these stickers are so important: So far, at every opportunity the City Council has backed down from a showdown with the Behemoth of Bentonville. Council Member Jennifer Kim meekly voices the city's negotiating position: "If Lincoln, as well as Wal-Mart, wants to have a future in Austin, it's in their best interests to work with us. [...] They're going to need something at some point." In other words, "You win this time, but...."
That's plain unacceptable. Clearly, we the citizens of Austin need to do a better job of making our negotiating position clear. To Wal-Mart and Lincoln Property: This development doesn't have a chance. Even if you build it, Austin will stay away in droves. And to the City Council: If y'all want to have a future representing us, it's in your best interest to grow a spinal column and, you know, represent us. You're going to need our votes at some point.
And don't stop spreading the message with a sticker or four: T-shirts benefiting RG4n are available from our friends Mondo Tees. You can also get a free yard sign at these locations, and freely download the RG4N graphic for your own Responsible Growth initiative!