Hello,

Hello,

Independent of the downtown housing discussion, I am sharing my support for a more vibrant community centered around the downtown. Moving to off the downtown, I was excited about the prospect of walking and riding to run errands and otherwise get energized by just strolling or grabbing a coffee with friends. What I’ve come to experience is a lackluster area with an increase in vacancies and a handful of merchants catering to the interior design needs of affluent retirees. The merchants remaining feel downright hostile to pedestrians with big angry signs lamenting the loss of parking spaces.

Drivers appear increasingly harried and angry with pedestrians and bike riders downtown. Walking to the sidewalk towards Trader Joe’s is harrowing as drivers ignore their surroundings. The same drivers demanding to park in front of the rug store have no problem walking twice as far from their car in the Costco parking lot, so go figure.

One of the last straws for me was the departure of Shiok. I was probably one of their first customers some 25 years ago. With there being only one boba shop downtown no wonder neither my high school senior nor my Stanford grad school son spend any time in town.

I’m seeing some signs of hope for an alternative to downtown that the community is starting to rally around. Coffee shops and restaurants springing up and lively around the train station in part thanks to Springline. Temp and Time is a charming new dessert and drink spot most walk to. The more a handful of out of touch downtown property owner hold out, the deader the area will become. Merchants and the community will continue to go elsewhere.

Best regards,

David Pollack
408.839.6130