Miss Euclid Avenue requests a copy of TeeQueue's fabulous speech. And wouldn't it be neat if it were posted to this site?



By Miss Euclid Avenue

Here it is!

I am speaking here today as a representative of the Ridgeview Neighborhood Association.

Our Association is saddened by the racial divide that this applicant has intentionally created in our community. We are frustrated by the unacceptable number of errors made by staff on this project which we believe to be a part of why we have been unable to work on this issue.

Our Association is disappointed with this applicant?’s disregard for the laws.

But thanks to the Euclid RAP, the community knows what is best for them. When completing the RAP, the neighbors discovered that the type of business here could significantly impact the already F rated street. That grocery stores, where one could walk, make a purchase and walk home helped to cut down on traffic and create a more neighborly environment. They found that stores that sold large items, such as furniture and kitchen appliances created more traffic from both inside and outside the area. So they made it necessary to get an NUP for the creation of these detrimental stores.

They found that a single store of a certain size brought in less traffic than a multi-store of that same size. So they banned the multi-store format.

They found that much of the blight was caused by the over-commercialization of this residential neighborhood, so they sought to put a stop to it so that they could bring Euclid Avenue back to what it is meant to be.

My point is that every requirement of the zone is there to put a stop to something that was causing blight in the area. So, I respectfully submit that the Planning Commission was in error when it found that it was in the best interest of the community to allow this project to go forward with all of the attributes that we have found cause blighted conditions along Euclid Avenue. We may not be able to eloquently explain our position because we feel so deeply about this revitalization, but by creating the RAP, we gained insight as to what jeopardizes our welfare and why, and we can clearly see when a project violates our precious vision for a better future.

This project before you may be many things. What it isn?’t is a project that fits into the vision we have for our community. How can we revitalize when projects like this defend the status quo and make our efforts in vain.

We convinced you once before that the revitalization of Euclid Avenue was important enough that you should make it a part of the Land Development Code. That code has become the bedrock of our revitalization effort. Without it, the commercialization of our residential neighborhood will only continue.

You want neighborhoods you can be proud of? So do we. Here in City Heights we?’ve proven that. So the Ridgeview Neighborhood Association is requesting that you accept this appeal of the Planning Commission?’s decision and insist that this applicant abide by the zone, so that this project can be a part of our future, not the end of our vision.

Thank you.


By Teequeue

Posting the Letters

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I hope everyone will e-mail me the speech they gave at council and at P.C. too. Then I'd like to consider some pages with a brief intro and the speeches on them.
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Before I do, I'll check with everyone to be sure that's OK.


By Jim Varnadore