mid-Market, low prices

Mayor Newsom is pushing for a gleaming new mall at the sketchy/skanky stretch of Market between 5th and 6th as part of the City's Mid-Market Revitalization Project. Just one block from the high-end mall Westfield and other points east, this mall would "be a haven in a hostile city" to discount stores.  Or as the marketing materials put it, "value-based retailers" such as TJ Maxx, JC Penny's and Ross.

Can anything (re)vitalize this area? It is pretty seriously scummy. Can a discount mall be nice, or will it be poorly-organized and poorly-maintained like the pretty nasty discount retailers already in the area?  The SF Appeal poll has 71% of people responding that they think it will just be a "dump" too.  Read the Appeal for the story.

However, I expect if there were to be a Target in that space people would be singing a different tune (anti-gay/anti-democracy corporate actions notwithstanding).  And a Target above a Muni station would be handy.

What do y'all think?