HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/14/2023 Item 6b, Nguyen
Kimmie Nguyen <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:11/14/23 Item 6b: 1166 Higuera Street
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Hello Councilmembers,
I am writing in opposition of the City's purchase of 1166 Higuera Street for the purpose of providing a surface parking lot
in Downtown.
I recognize that the City Council has a knee-jerk response to residents complaining about parking. Many of these
residents have garages which could (and are intended to) store their vehicles, but are choosing to use City streets to
do it. Making a private problem a City problem. The City does not have to increase parking availability in order to justify
upzoning or growth - there's no laws that require it; there's no federal or state funding that would incentivize it. The
"Parking First" approach is not consistent with City goals and it won't solve the parking complaints either.
The City has made many a plan for this particular site.
1. The Housing Element explicitly identifies 1166 Higuera Street as an "underdeveloped and blighted property that
can accommodate new or additional high-density development". Mixed-use is allowed by-right here, meaning a
relatively straightforward process to entitling a mix of retail/service commercial and homes.
2. This is one of few parcels zoned for the new Flexible Density Program, where C-R and C-D properties in
the Downtown Core are eligible for increased density. This Program was touted as evidence that the City wants
to address its housing crisis, but we have yet to see fruit from it. That's because many of the properties in the
Downtown Core are already highly productive with owners uninterested in redevelopment. So this property
presents a rare opportunity in that respect.
3. The Land Use Element identified the Upper Monterey Area as being ripe for redevelopment of housing and
mixed-use development.
These are adopted City regulations and none of them state that parking is the highest and best use of this site. Why do
we make these plans if we are just going to ignore them when a decision needs to be made? The community outreach
for these plans is always extensive, and we are lucky to have so many who want to participate and make
their community better. City staff spend months crafting evidence-based policies and City Council and its advisory
bodies sit through hours of deliberation. The goals and vision of these plans are great and we can all support them, but
without follow-through we're just another City that had a lot of great ideas that never got off the ground. Please
prioritize implementing those plans, and the will of your constituents, and find a better use of $5 million dollars than
another scrap of asphalt in the heart of our town.
Best,
Kimmie Nguyen
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