Dec 5, 2008 Scotts Valley - San Lorenzo Valley, CA

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It’s why we live here | Print |  E-mail
Written by PB Letters   
Thursday, 18 September 2008

 

A letter to the editor from Rich Le Blanc in Scotts Valley

 
EDITOR,
 
What a sad day for Scotts Valley when the beautiful entrance to our town turns into an ugly Target store.
 
If you want to live in a San Jose-like environment, why don’t you just live there instead of changing Scotts Valley?
 
There are plenty of areas like that surrounding us. If you don’t want to live in a small country town, don’t.
 
Supporters keep chanting the same mantra: It’s good for the city because it generates money.
 
Like that’s all that matters.
 
What about our quality of life or beautiful scenery? It seems that all the fields and meadows here have big signs that read “Notice of proposed development.”
 
It’s not worth it to ruin our town for money. They’ll ruin everything we live here for, and if you don’t agree, you’re accused of standing in the way of progress or called a NIMBY.
Someone put it best when they said: “We don’t live here to shop.”
 
So call me NIMBY, but I don’t want to see Scotts Valley turned into San Jose or 41st Avenue. The natural beauty of this area is what makes it nice, and it is why we live here. A Target makes no sense and doesn’t fit our small-town character at all.
 
I think it’s worth it to drive to another town to buy a pair of pants once in a while to keep our town nice.
 
No, I don’t want that in my backyard, and those low-wage jobs won’t help anyone afford to live here. It will take us one step further away from the quaint rural Soctts Valley that we once loved, and one step closer to being a little San Jose in the mountains.
 
I urge everyone to vote out the developers on the City Council and vote in people who care about preserving Scotts Valley, not plowing it over for money.
Comments (8)Add Comment
No Ugly Stores.... ESPECIALLY THERE !
written by Rickey Tave, September 18, 2008
No Ugly Stores.... ESPECIALLY THERE !
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Time for a Change on the City council
written by Vote out Bustichi and Johnson, September 18, 2008
The three biggest supporters of the Target project are current Mayor Randy Johnson, previous Mayor Dene Bustichi and their appointed councilman Reed. Bustichi and Johnson are up for reelection in November. Barrett who opposes the Target isn't running for reelection. Vote for a change, vote for a council that will listen to the citizens. We only need two new council members who believe in responsible development to defeat this project. Vote for Kertai, Machado and Walker in November.
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Keep our town small
written by ....., September 19, 2008
Finally someone agrees with me that we do not need a Target and that it would actually hurt our way of life. Like he says, if you want to live in a San Jose like area then MOVE TO SAN JOSE!!!!!!!
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Developers built your houses
written by Steven Smith, September 21, 2008
Are they the same "developers" who authorized the building of Monte Fiore? I remember a beautiful little valley where your houses now stand...

Im not saying build Target by any stretch but don't forget, you have houses in our small town because someone developed and built them.

In the wake of Prop. 13 civic funding shifted from property tax based to sales tax based. In fact, houses are net losers for cities. Meaning they demand more services than they pay for. Cities now need retail sales tax revenues to pay for the services we have come to rely on. Safe neighborhoods, clean parks, waste water treatment, roads, and upkeep of all these services depend on it.

I'm looking for ideas and options Mr. Leblanc and NO ONE from the opposition seems to have any.
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Response to: Mr. Smith and developers built your house
written by Scotts Valley Resident, September 22, 2008
Mr. Smith you sure have it in for Monte Fiore. After all who knows what evil lurks behind those closed gates. Maybe there's something more than families with children and hard working parents. NOBODY is saying don't develop the La Madrona parcel. JUST use some DISCRETION. At the current rate, every parcel in Scotts Valley will be built on. Let's see how much asphalt and cement we can cram into each space. Let's take a nice residential area and give them a big box as neighbors. I think Skypark needs a Night Club and all night Liquor store on the corner. The Vineyards needs a year round flea market and used car dealership . Santa's Village property appears to be back on the market. Maybe we can find a place for Walmart there. Let's get Ruben Helick to call them... Can we get any more ridiculous? Maybe the city needs to reevaluate its budget. Stop empire building. Examine wages. Subcontract officers from the Sheriff's department, and let them cover some of the shifts. Continue the sales tax increase. ....Oh, by the way if it bothered you so much to lose the little valley where Monte Fiore now stands did you voice your concern before the property was developed? I didn't think so.
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...
written by Steve Smith, September 22, 2008
Don't have it in for Monte Fiori at all. Just poinitng out that we are all living on developed land.

I repeat my earlier comment. "I'm not saying build Traget by any stretch".

I was asking for some constructive alternatives to Target and you gave me night clubs, liquor stores, and flea markets.

A sales tax increase will probably drive businesss away.

The sheriff's office is understaffed right now. How will adding to their jurisdiction solve the problem?

Any other good ideas?



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PS
written by Steve Smith, September 22, 2008
Your response perfectly illustrates my point.
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...
written by Rich LeBlanc, September 30, 2008


There are many more like us but are afraid to speak out. Don't be afraid. This is our town and our lives and people are ruining it. They must be stopped. Don't be afraid that someone won't like you. Be brave and speak out. Once the natural beauty of this area is gone it's gone forever.



Ya, how about putting Scotts Valley back the way it was before they ruined it. That will never happen. The best we can hope for is not to let them ruin it anymore. Why can't we have a nice park at the town center like Vasona park in Los Gatos? Green grass with a pond. Instead we get shopping centers, high-density housing and traffic jams. Those kinds of things don't belong in Scotts Valley and are ruining our quality of life. Of course we need some houses to live in but we'd rather have them surrounded by beautiful fields and meadows and forests, not shopping centers, high-density housing and traffic.
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