Dear, Wonderful, Balanced, Strategic, Practical and Thoughtful City Council,
My family and I are so very grateful you voted - unanimously even - to move to the RFQ phase. We are excited to have new neighbors and to enjoy the more vibrant downtown they will engender ~
Two thoughts for you are:
1. To use the artist’s conception of the buildings in the interim for any publications or presentations you make - they make it look so uplifting, so beautiful. Most people are picturing dreck when they hear the words affordable housing, and your drawings are gorgeous! They are the picture worth a thousand words and should go on the front and back of any presentation or flyer or packet you distribute to the public. It’ll win us all over!
2. Since the biggest concern by far, at least expressed out loud, is about the parking that will be taken away, please please:
- include more parking than would be taken away in the RFQ minimum. They are right that there already isn’t enough parking, so instead of saying the RFP would insist on replacing at least 90% of the parking, please say 110% or above. I too too often find parking hard, and I want affordable housing to happen - but I too would be unhappy if we ended up with lees rather than more parking.
- Please build that parking garage first, so people see how much parking they are getting, and to nip in the bud the complaints about “what are we going to do during construction?” At least one of their complaints would already have been taken care of.
Again, so Very many thanks for all you’ve done and continue to do to save our ungracious necks both on housing needed and on complying with the State so we’re not penalized financially!
We are so very grateful you are willing to be in these roles, and I apologize for all the guff we through your way, and far too often. I was appalled at the last meeting, and know you’ve gone through so much more than that. Please hang in there for all our sakes. Now here’s to making your jobs easier, not harder.
Sweet dreams,
Elsa
Elsa Schafer
650.740.5733 (c)
ElsaSchafer16@gmail.com
1202 Sharon Park Drive, #75
District 5
