It’s Called Ageism

I was glad to see that the Independent has highlighted the automatic approval of the conversion of this building overlooking Laguna Cottages, a large senior housing complex, to an Airbnb-type hotel.

There are several reasons why this project is inappropriate for this neighborhood. First and foremost, it will inevitably disturb the peace and quiet of the elderly community next door. In addition, it will impact the parking in the immediate area, as there is limited parking available on the site of this building.  Laguna Cottages has no visitor parking spaces which often makes it difficult for visitors, upon whom many of the residents depend, to find street parking.

There is also a traffic hazard on De La Guerra Street as there is only a single-lane driveway in and out of the proposed hotel property. Furthermore, the residents of Laguna Cottages have already put up with a year and a half of extremely noisy and dusty reconstruction work at the building and will be negatively impacted once again by new remodeling.

Finally and most important it is shameful that the city would allow this development to go forward without informing the community and without considering the rights of the 58 elderly folk who live at Laguna Cottages. This is called ageism.