"Eagle Rock: Where land use and
planning is a contact sport"
THE EAGLE ROCK ASSOCIATION
TERA
-- e.letter --
December 20, 2001
In this
issue:
1. WALGREENS PETITION -- PLEASE PARTICIPATE --
ONLY A NAME AND ADDRESS NEEDED!
2. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PUBLISHER OF BS
3. ATTENTION LOS ANGELES ARTISTS
4. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
5. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
----------
1. WALGREENS PETITION -- PLEASE PARTICIPATE
-- ONLY A NAME AND ADDRESS NEEDED!
* I
support positive economic development in Eagle Rock, which benefits business
and residents alike.
* I
support development that respects Eagle Rock's architectural history and
"hometown" feel.
* I
welcome Walgreens into our community, as long as Walgreens honors what we, the
people, want.
* If
Walgreens decides to locate in our community, I DO NOT want Walgreens to
demolish the Shopping Bag building and erect a corporate cookie-cutter
structure surrounded by a vast parking lot.
* If
Walgreens decides to locate in our community, I DO want Walgreens to
restore and occupy the Shopping Bag building at 2222 Colorado Boulevard.
My
name and address are:
My
additional comments are:
Send
your petition to us at artburn@earthlink.net.
Thanks!
----------
2. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PUBLISHER OF BS
December
12, 2001
Tom
Topping
Editor
& Publisher
Boulevard
Sentinel
Eagle
Rock CA
Mr.
Topping:
I
moved to Eagle Rock last year for the public schools, affordable home prices
and the promise of community within the sprawl of Los Angeles. My family and I
are happy here, but after a year of occasionally picking up your newspaper, I
have yet to figure out what it is you stand for, what it is you want, and why
you exhibit such apparent hostility toward any and all attempts to make Eagle
Rock more attractive and livable. Do you realize how weird your newspaper
appears to someone new to the neighborhood?
Decoding
your reportage as best I can, I take it that you are, for some reason, opposed
to any kind of urban planning, that you admire strip malls, parking lots, fast
food franchises and other forms of unregulated absentee developer ugliness that
have blighted so much of Southern California and that you mock the idea of a
city beautiful. That's quite a platform to stand on. Does it have a name? I can
think of few that might fit.
In
the case of the Walgreens controversy, you have cynically misled your readers
with the misrepresentation that The Eagle Rock Association is trying to block
Walgreens from locating on Colorado. In fact, the organization only wants
Walgreens to comply with an existing city zoning plan put in place to preserve
some of our past while moving toward a better future, a future that includes a
cityscape inviting to shoppers, merchants and pedestrians alike -- and one that
can include Walgreens if the company is willing to modify its design as
required by the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan now in force.
Your
stream-of-consciousness rant on page 2 of your December issue suggests crudely
that there is something un-American about citizens like those in T.E.R.A.
organizing to gain some control over the quality of life here as reflected in
the appearance of our streets and neighborhoods. But we have come together not
against business but as members of a democratic society striving to create a
business environment that will benefit everyone in Eagle Rock -- particularly
businesses! Whose side are you on? The people who live and work here or a
multi-billion-dollar corporation with headquarters two thousand miles away? You
give new meaning to the term 'community' newspaper.
Sincerely,
Sean
Mitchell
----------
3. ATTENTION LOS ANGELES ARTISTS
Attention
Los Angeles artists: 9-11 LA Arts Community Economic Impact Survey
Please
visit our website to participate in a short survey designed to help the
Cultural Affairs Department discern the general economic outlook of LA
artists/organizations as well as the fiscal impact recent events have had or
will have on individuals working in the arts and culture field.
You
can find the survey on: http://www.culturela.org
Click
on Public Arts
Click
on 9-11 Artist Survey
The
form can be filled out online but must be mailed or faxed to the Cultural
Affairs Department.
Fax:
213-473-8352
City
of Los Angeles
Cultural
Affairs Department
Attention:
Survey
Public
Arts Division
433
South Spring Street, 10th Floor
Los
Angeles, CA 90013
Thank
you,
Carrie
Roche
Public
Arts Division
City
of Los Angeles
Cultural
Affairs Department
----------
4. LETTERS AND E.MAILS
"Just
in case you didn't get my message before: the Rite Aid in the National
Register, former JW Robinson's (Boston Stores) in Downtown LA, is the highest
grossing Rite Aid in the nation (LA Business Journal, 12 November, 2001). We finished the $35M restoration of the
building at the beginning of year. Nine
months after opening they are already planning on expanding the 7th and Olive
Store. Different neighborhood, but
still, they were very skeptical going in, and believe me I had to deal with the
Rite Aid executive who thought old buildings were too problematic. He's eating his words now!!!" (Emphasis added.)
--
Jeff Samudio, founding TERA Board member; TERA member; life-long Eagle Rock
resident; member, Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan Committee; and specialist in
historic architectural restoration
"I
am astonished to hear that Nick Pacheco does not think he is responsible for
development projects (can he really have stated that it is not 'his place to
support or oppose' projects?). Isn't
land use/zoning one of the prime responsibilities of our council? I consider it essential that he listen to
all input and make a choice. He is the
one who either shepherds this through the council for the developer OR fights
the current proposal in order to support community input for
modifications. Can it be true that our
councilman is not listening to the residents of the community? Say it [ain't] so!"
--
Mona Field, Eagle Rock resident; member, Los Angeles Community College Board;
and TERA member
"This
was a particularly informative newsletter [12/13/01]. By the way, my wife and I have separate email addresses. Would
you mind adding mine to your list as well?
Thank you and keep up the good work.
Best --"
--
Andrew Hindes, Eagle Rock resident and TERA member
"Its
very ironic how you think you are the Queen of Governement and can deny NEW
Construction for our community, and I noticed the your group only publishes the
POSITIVE letters from your friends that have written on you.
Well
I noticed my note was not on the Tera Website, since I forwarded you a message
in favor of Walgreens that was sent to Mr. Pacheco.
Shame
on you and your False Organization, for not being open to all input and
suggestions, KEEP your day job, and keep you class-less soul from improving our
fine city."
-- R.
Rodriguez, Eagle Rock resident [Editor's note: The letter Mr. Rodriguez sent us that he refers to above was
indeed included in our e.letter dated 12/06/01 in the "Letters and
E.mails" section. That same
e.letter issue is also posted on our Web site and has been for more than a
week.]
"I
know I'm entering into the Walgreens dialogue late in the game, but you have my
full support for the effort you are making to uphold the ideals of the building
codes on Colorado in Eagle Rock. The Shopping Bag building would make a
beautiful re-hab... and a corporation like Walgreens certainly ought to pay
careful attention to the desires of the community.
As
far as the success of urban core redevelopment, you can look not only to Old
Town Pasadena, but also to Culver City, Third Street Promenade, and Montrose
for examples of how much preservation enhances the feeling of continuity and
pride in a community. It is crucial that the core of Eagle Rock maintain and
upgrade -- providing us all with a much needed sense of place in the urban
sprawl of LA. Sincerely --"
--
Corey Madden, 4960 College View Drive, Eagle Rock, and TERA member
----------
5. QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"Do
the right thing."
--
Spike Lee
----------
We
welcome your comments. Please include
your name.
----------
Wishing
you and yours a peaceful and happy holiday season.
Joanne
Turner <artburn@earthlink.net>
President,
The Eagle Rock Association (TERA)