Keeping the Small town

Roger and Al- I like the big box stores, too.  However, when we had Goodman’s, a medium home depot store, it did not survive.  There are too many small stores which would have to compete and usually the big box corporate culture undercuts them, which causes these small town stores to lose money and to disappear. 

Our Novato stores, which will feel the hit, are Pini, Sloat and Anderson Nursery, Novato Lumber, Marin Landscape, Tresch Galeria, Empire Carpet, Novato Glass, and any other small business that support Novato’s small, rural, agricultural, suburban town and ambiance. 

I think it would be a wash to have a big box built. Think of the money we would save by not having it,  which   could be placed into the unfunded liability pension fund.  How?

We  could reduce the community development funding by

$ 500,000 and still get a lovely Redwood Corridor development that complements our small businesses.

Furthermore, the big box focus is pushed by the developers who are not willing to wait for a small town plan and want to build the 70-100 units in the area with no setbacks and less parking. They are lobbying the city staff and council for a hurry-up and build it, crowd it in plan to urbanize Novato. I disagree with that approach.

 The approach and   discussion detracts from the Mission Lodge new proposed 6 story – 60+ units to be built over the frontage road cutting redwood trees, no setbacks, with a design that needs to be re-evaluated.  This is an entrance to Novato. Close by there is a plan for a new  bus hub, which is  supposedly being designed with fewer trees, no concern for the unsafe crosswalk across from Peet’s . Again, these are urbanizing measures for Novato – high density and less parking costing in the long run more taxes for local residents.

Novato wants to celebrate its small town charm with a birthday bash- but the above plans do not do that.