Dear Mayor Taylor and City Council Members,
As a long time downtown resident, I read with shock and dismay that you’re entertaining the possibility of eradicating our much needed downtown parking lots in favor of Section 8 type housing. This would be disastrous on several counts.
First: it would be a death-knell for the already struggling retail stores in our tiny downtown. Those lots are often full and there’s little parking on the street. The reality is that people drive and they need to park their cars. Then they magically become the pedestrians who patronize our stores and bring in needed tax revenue for the city, as well as supporting our hardworking store owners and their employees.
Our shopping district is also a draw for those who come here from other cities. Do you think they’ll be more likely to come if you crowd our built-out downtown with multistory stack-and-pack apartment complexes?
Second: We all care about the affordable housing shortage but our downtown simply can’t safely accommodate all these proposed units. Hundreds more people living in our already packed downtown will strain our infrastructure and overcrowd our schools. What about the increased demands for electricity on our already fragile grid? What about the demands on water supply? And what about traffic?
Third: As much as we may empathize with people who are struggling, if hundreds of very low income people will be crammed into our downtown smack in the middle of our business area, what will the impact be on safety and/or on an environment perceived as unsafe by potential shoppers?
In short, this is a lose-lose proposition.
Council members, I urge you to soundly reject this idea no matter how well intentioned. These housing projects, once built, would be here to stay.
In short order, I’m afraid they would turn our downtown into Menlo Slumville.
Sincerely,
Cherie Zaslawsky
