3. Revitalizing Our Downtown Must Be a TOP Priority.
Incrementally destroying commercial capacity that would be utilized in a revitalized downtown by demolishing essential parking structures must STOP!
By demolishing Parking Structure #3 on 4th Street, and replacing it with a supportive housing project that could be located anywhere in the city, the Council has initiated a plan that expressly envisions the elimination of the commercial, and social gathering heart of the city.
The unfolding of this plan is evident in the mooted tear-down of Parking Structure #1. While financial constraints for repairs are cited as the justification, no serious attempt has so far been made at looking at alternative financing vehicles such as parking revenue bonds under a revitalized downtown scenario.
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These policies are clearly designed to eliminate what is left of the city’s commercial gathering spaces activity, permanently eliminating core social and shopping destinations for residents and visitors alike!
Destroyed
Must be saved
Protect our irreplaceable Neighborhood Commercial Districts and their Small Businesses
Do not destroy them!
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The Council has approved plans to eliminate the Main Street parking lots that support the entire neighborhood. This will eliminate most of the walkable utility of those neighborhoods, in direct opposition to stated city policy on the urgent need for walkability in the city.
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Sunset Park is at high risk of losing one of the city’s last local grocers due to the same Council action.
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These anti-neighborhood development actions are entirely discretionary, as belatedly confirmed by the City in an April 2023 request to the State to rescind these zoning decisions after significant resident objections. This also highlighted the defective public input process of City decision making.
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We support an immediate halt any and all actions related to the destruction of the targeted City-owned Main Street parking lots.