This would be the second time Circuit City will make its debut on the Cape. Does Cape Cod really need another big chain electronics store? Part of me says YES!

The proposed plan is to have Circuit City take over the two lots off Route 132 that was once Starbucks Restaurant, Star City Grille and now is a lot full of weeds; as well as the neighboring Roger’s and Gray Insurance lot. As it stands, Best Buy doesn’t always have what I need for peripherals and Radio Shack has somehow gotten away from the product lines they used to carry. I think they have lost their identity all together.

While I have to admit my hatred for shopping at another chain retailer, can anyone honestly tell me what other choice I have when looking for, say a … 1 TB networked external hard drive here on Cape? Keep in mind I might not have time for mail order when trying to help a customer.

In addition, this decrepit strip of road in Hyannis is really in need of some love. I’m not saying it has to be retail, but something to clean up from Trader Joes all the way down to the Airport Rotary would be nice. This strip currently looks like WWII hit it. If this project were able to proceed, not only would it supply another place to shop for tech stuff and jobs, however low paying, for our residents; but it would beautify parcels of land in desperate need. While beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the Cape Cod Commission is even discussing buying other parcels nearby for open space and to stop further development (see CCT’s article).

Proposed Circuit City site - Courtesy of the Cape Cod Times

Now…can someone help me argue against this? On the con side, two words come to mind. Traffic and Chain. Unfortunately, with the Cape’s population growing and the land shrinking, we can’t do much about the traffic (unless of course we get better public transportation). And as far as chain…what other choice do I have? I’ll await to see how the drama unfolds, until then…