Letters to the Editor

Process is not complete
Editor: Contrary to your headline (“Council overturns decision
on CVS,” July 7), the CVS project still has to go through the
Design Review Board which is no rubber stamp. Please don’t approve
the project in your headlines before it is approved by all the
City’s review agencies.
Peter Schurch
Design Review Board member
Misquoted
Editor: David Abbott misquoted me in his article about the
CVS/Chase project (“Council overturns decision on CVS,” July 7). I
would like to take a moment to set the record straight.
My main issues with the CVS/Chase project are the two
drive-through lanes at one of our most congested intersections. The
quote should have been “I urge you not to allow the drive through
for the bank … the last thing we need are more cars idling and
polluting at that location.” I had hoped that the City Council
would be able to allow this project to move forward, but without
the drive through remote teller for Chase.
I’m not a great fan of this project, however the developer has
taken the time to talk with many in the community and has made
significant changes to the original proposal. At this point I can
say I’m resigned to the project.
The Negative Declaration was able to pass because we do not have
the ordinances in place to back up the General Plan. The developer
has not proposed a project that is out of compliance with the
current zoning requirements for that piece of property. This is the
issue that we as a community must now address. If we don’t want
drive-throughs we must pass an ordinance restricting
drive-throughs. If we want denser downtown multi use projects, we
need to change our zoning laws. If we want to be assured of direct
mitigations that benefit our community, we must craft ordinances to
require those actions. We may want to define conditions that cannot
be mitigated.
Three of the Planning Commissioners voted not to accept the
Negative Declaration. I think they voted no because of a deep
discomfort about how this project does not really reflect the
values we have stated in our General Plan. It would have been good
if they had been able to articulate this discomfort into findings
that supported their concerns that some aspects of this project are
not really healthy (i.e., increased fine particulate matter air
pollution due to a drive through) for our community. And it would
have been even better if we, as a city, had laws in place to
support our General Plan.
Maureen Shea
Sebastopol
Roustabout Theater
Editor: I would just like to mention that there are some
wonderful kids some from sebastopol keeping busy this summer by
acting in wonderful plays at the Wells Fargo center with the
Roustabout Theater. It makes me happy to support these kids doing
something that is positive. Its a great relief to see positive
activities still available. Its a shining light to watch in this
sometimes trying world and makes me remember why I live here.
Lisa Borgo
Sebastopol
Potpourri
Editor: CVS, now in the perfect location, with lots of parking,
banks and shops and safe in and out, is now thinking about moving
to the worst intersection in town? How do you get back out at that
point into three lanes of traffic on Petaluma Avenue?
Did you see the picture in the local daily newspaper of a troop
of mountain bikers on their way to Annadel? That’s like the Tour de
France entering the Rainforest. Sure they were collecting donations
to keep the park open. These are some of the people that have done
so much damage there already. Cutting trees and creating their own
trails.
And lastly, a bike trail in the Luther Burbank Gardens. This is
sacred ground, lovingly preserved by many volunteers. No way.
W.J. Van Buren
Sebastopol