HomeMy WebLinkAboutCORRESPONDENCE - 55CJuly 1, 2014
City Council Meeting
Correspondence
Letter regarding item 55c.
BRISTOL STREET IMPROVEMENTS, RIGHT -OF -WAY ACQUISITIONS, ANDADOPTION
OF AN ADDENDUM TO THE FINAL EIS /EIR - Public Works Agency
I:UgendnLExhibits- C4rteepond.ro -2. eo
Mitre - Ramirez, Norma
From:
Huizar, Maria
Sent:
Friday, June 27, 2014 4:28 PM
To:
Cavazos, David; Galvez, William E.
Cc:
Carvalho, Sonia R.; Mitre - Ramirez, Norma; Orozco, Norma; Trujillo, Rose Ann
Subject:
FW: Bristol Street Widening Project
FYI
Norma, please include in Agenda packet.
From: bobi keenan [
Sent: Friday, June 27, 2014 11:52 AM
To: Pulido, Miguel; Sarmiento, Vince; Reyna, Roman; Martinez, Michele; Benavides, David; Amezcua, Angelica; Tinajero,
Sal; Cavazos, David; Huizar, Maria
Subject: Bristol Street Widening Project
Dear Mayor Pulido, Council Members Amezcua, Benevides, Martinez, Reyna, Sarmiento & Tinajero, City
Manager Cavazos and City Clerk Huizar,
I believe the Bristol Street Widening Project will finally come before the Council for vote at the next Council
Meeting.
I will be out of town and not able to attend this meeting. Still, I want to reiterate my support for a vote to
approve the project as recommended by staff. A "Full Take" is warranted and absolutely necessary for the free
flow of vehicular, cyclist, and pedestrian traffic and for the safety of all who travel in any of these manners
along that stretch of Bristol Street.
The Bristol Street Business Coalition has argued, I think unconvincingly, that they should be allowed to stay in
place. I do not believe that their interests should be allowed to take precedence over that of the general and
traveling public.
We will only have this one opportunity to build a complete street along this section of Bristol between
Washington and 17th Street. We must not be held hostage to the wishes of a few businesses that are in the way
of progress for our city.
If they prevail, the street will not line up with what has been done south of Civic Center. It will also have a
potential impact on the plan for widening the section between Civic Center and Washington which is
pending. Vehicles will bottle -neck. There will not be room for setbacks between the street and the
sidewalk. The sidewalks will not be wide enough to accommodate pedestrian traffic safely.
Just take a look at the PERMANENT mistakes that have been made along Bristol south of First Street, where a
dairy, an office building and a large house have been allowed to remain. In some places it's barely wide enough
to push a stroller through the space between the buildings and posts that arise from the sidewalk because there is
no setback! And it completely violates the aesthetic appearance of the roadway. This should not happen
again!
The City gave money to the dairy to make improvements ... improvements that have not been made and to all
appearances, will never be made. We lost a chunk of public money on that deal.
We must not repeat these mistakes!
If the businesses are allowed to stay, we would have to re -do the planning and it would result in an unacceptable
further delay. We could be in danger of losing the money to fund this project.
I am sympathetic to the Business Owners who have been long established there and have contributed
consistently to the community over the years. I am sorry that they now find themselves in the way of much
needed progress.
I join my Washington Square Neighbors in URGING you to vote to widen Bristol as planned and to assist the
business owners in relocation.
Sincerely,
bobikeenan