Welcome to carynmachado.com, the official website of Caryn Machado for Scotts Valley City Council 2008!
Issues/Questionnaires
Target Proposal
What do you think about the proposal to build a new Target store here in Scotts Valley on La Madrona Drive? I have heard several arguments, some for and many against. What do you think? This appears to be the #1 concern on voters minds here in Scotts Valley this year.
Take the Target questionnaire now,
or scroll down to read more about my views regarding this project and the Town Center.
(Or, click here for survey results.)
or scroll down to read more about my views regarding this project and the Town Center.
(Or, click here for survey results.)
Many voters have asked me what my opinion is about Target.
I've been advised by members of our city government that if a council member is seen as having prejudged a project before due process has taken place, they could be seen as prejudiced and have to excuse themselves when it comes time to vote. Having said that, I can say that I have many concerns about the proposal. After reading the Draft Transportation Impact Analysis Report for the Gateway South Project: http://www.scottsvalley.org/Gateway%20South%20Retail%20Store%20Draft%20Traffic%20Report%202008-04-04.pdf
I am deeply concerned about the impacts of the shortage of 239 parking spaces during peak shopping times in December (page iii) and the possibility that cars will be endlessly circling the neighborhood area looking for a place to park. (Which is not exactly in keeping with the Scotts Valley Mission Statement of "...providing our residents with the environment of a tranquil, verdant forest..." in my opinion.) I am also concerned about the impact that 9,075 additional daily car trips (page 16 of this same report) in the area will have on existing traffic, especially given the likelihood that cars traveling to and from the Town Center may already be impacting those areas. (I don't believe subjecting the residents of Scotts Valley and beyond to gridlock conditions in our city is in our best interest.) Finally, I am deeply concerned that Scotts Valley may simply not be able to support a store of that size AND all of our current local stores, and that many existing businesses may find themselves having to shut their doors once Target moves in. (We need to be realistic about just how much new retail space a city the size of Scotts Valley can absorb.) I look forward to the Economic Impact Study Report being completed, and to carefully reviewing it once it is released.
http://pressbanner.com/content/view/1460/42/
I've been advised by members of our city government that if a council member is seen as having prejudged a project before due process has taken place, they could be seen as prejudiced and have to excuse themselves when it comes time to vote. Having said that, I can say that I have many concerns about the proposal. After reading the Draft Transportation Impact Analysis Report for the Gateway South Project: http://www.scottsvalley.org/Gateway%20South%20Retail%20Store%20Draft%20Traffic%20Report%202008-04-04.pdf
I am deeply concerned about the impacts of the shortage of 239 parking spaces during peak shopping times in December (page iii) and the possibility that cars will be endlessly circling the neighborhood area looking for a place to park. (Which is not exactly in keeping with the Scotts Valley Mission Statement of "...providing our residents with the environment of a tranquil, verdant forest..." in my opinion.) I am also concerned about the impact that 9,075 additional daily car trips (page 16 of this same report) in the area will have on existing traffic, especially given the likelihood that cars traveling to and from the Town Center may already be impacting those areas. (I don't believe subjecting the residents of Scotts Valley and beyond to gridlock conditions in our city is in our best interest.) Finally, I am deeply concerned that Scotts Valley may simply not be able to support a store of that size AND all of our current local stores, and that many existing businesses may find themselves having to shut their doors once Target moves in. (We need to be realistic about just how much new retail space a city the size of Scotts Valley can absorb.) I look forward to the Economic Impact Study Report being completed, and to carefully reviewing it once it is released.
~Last but not least.
Read what Council Member Cliff Barrett said in his interview to the Press Banner on June 27th 2008. http://pressbanner.com/content/view/1460/42/
Note that Cliff Barrett has endorsed me.
Schools
The Town Center
The plans for the Town Center have been in the works for over 15 years now, and have definitely improved with age. I realize that this is a work in progress, however it is my opinion that the project could get a bit closer to realizing the city’s mission (as laid out in the General Plan) of "...providing the residents with the environment of a tranquil, verdant forest, and the services of a modern, small city that reflects our history, culture and setting".
Go here to see the Scotts Valley Town Center Specific Plan
I had a conversation with Dave Javid, a senior planner of RRP Design Group, and a LEED Accredited Professional who has been working on the Scotts Valley Town Center Specific Plan. The good news (as I see it) is he explained that because the town center is going into an infill site, inherently it already has certain qualities that make it a sustainable project, such as being next to the transit center, the post office, the community center and the recreation center located within Skypark. The bad news (once again, as I see it) is Dave pointed out to me that the “Sustainable” chapter of the Plan is not currently a requirement of the Town Center Specific Plan, and therefore has no legal standing per the California specific plan government code 65450. He continued by telling me that it would be up to the City Government to incorporate the Sustainable portion of the project into the Plan.
This fact alone reinforces the need for environmental proponents to be elected to the City Council this November, in order to ensure that the “Sustainable” portion of the Plan is actually incorporated into the project, and not just tossed aside!
RE: Water. There is a statistic regarding the Town center project needing 150 acre feet of water per year, and can be found in section 4.12, page 6, of which the city has defined the impact as Class II, significant but mitigable. Page 8 of this same section details these mitigative design elements of the specific plan, which are available for public review. Inherently most of them are good ideas, however, we need council members like myself who will actually take a stand to implement them.
Regarding the traffic impacts, according to the Environmental Report for the Scotts Valley Town Center Specific Plan completed August 2008, Table E-S1, page 4, column 3 (Significance After Mitigation) states that (at four intersections) "implementation of mitigation measure T-1 would improve operation to LOS (Level of Service) D". In my opinion we should try to maintain the city standard LOS C, if at all possible, and only accept LOS D if we have exhausted all other feasible alternatives.
Following the presentation of the Scotts Valley Town Center Specific Plan and Draft EIR at the City Council Study session on September 3rd, Councilmember Aguilar brought up the possibly of having the lights synchronized (to reduce wait and idling times), which I think is a good idea, and I would support.
Councilmember Barrett pointed out that he would like to see as many green building standards incorporated into the plan as possible, as many trees and benches as possible, and the addition of bike lanes and racks. Also great ideas. In keeping with our plan of "...reflecting our history..." I think a small living history/art museum would be a wonderful addition to the Town Center. Or, at the very least, I would like to see a section of the new library in the Town Center devoted to displays of artifacts, photos, art and the like that would educate the citizens about the history of Scotts Valley. I especially think it becomes more meaningful for our children to learn in that type of setting.
At this same meeting and study session, I posed the question as to what kind of considerations were being given to local retailers/restaurant owners, etc. who wanted to be in the Town Center, as all we had heard at this meeting from Council Member Bustichi was how at the ICSC meeting in Las Vegas they (he and Mayor Johnson) had "met with a lot of retailers within national chains who were interested in being in our community". In my opinion, we should be giving local business owners (ideally those who want to participate in the Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program http://www.montereybaygreenbusiness.org/) priority placements for the Town Center, and I would work not only to do so, but also to help Scotts Valley become a partner in the MBAGB Program.
With the continued commitment of so many citizens of the community, council members, design specialists and the planning department, this project should and will become something of which we could all be very proud. We've waited this long, so let's do it right*!
*by following the guidelines as laid out in our Mission Statement, and incorporating sustainable/green design elements into the entire project. (Let's try to add green roofs to at least some of the buildings too!)
What other issues would you like to see addressed here? Contact me and let me know.
