Letter: City goes extra mile for input

EDITOR,
In Frank Kertai’s latest attack on the city in these pages, he asked why we waited a week to share the results of our previous week’s conversation with Target, in which the retailer said it is no longer under contract with developer Title Two for a Scotts Valley store.
The answer is simple. We followed the city’s customary practice of disclosing relevant news at the next council meeting. More importantly, Mayor Randy Johnson and I felt there would be ample opportunity for public comment, since we considered the Target news consequential enough that the comment period should remain open so everyone has ample time to be heard.
It’s not ideal to have a public comment period when we’re lacking key information, such as the projected economic impacts of tenant(s) other than Target. But this is infinitely preferable to not allowing feedback now that there’s been what clearly seems to be a meaningful change in the project. 
It’s easy to see how some may not have submitted remarks previously because they thought this would be a Target. Now, these people may view the project differently. Even if only a few fall into this category, it’s critical to give these folks the opportunity to be heard, which we’re doing by extending the comment period.
I’ve made it clear that if the developer still continues with its application, it must provide more information for me to even consider the findings of overriding consideration required for approval. Studies like these are part of the process Scotts Valley follows for land use decisions, the same process used throughout California regarding environmental impacts that can’t be effectively mitigated.
Scotts Valley will continue to err on the side of allowing the public to be fairly heard, respecting constitutionally protected property rights, and requiring large developers to complete — and fully fund in advance — the studies necessary for their projects to move forward.
• Jim Reed sits on the Scotts Valley City Council as the city’s vice mayor.