About five years ago we learned that the shuttered VW dealership at the corner of Chapala and Ortega would be converted to much-needed downtown housing. Thirty-nine apartments. Good-looking building — commercial space, parking, other amenities. A great use of the property.
The owners were excited. The Planning Commission was supportive.
The neighborhood was anxious but ready. The dealership had closed and sat empty for four years at that point. It was starting to look a little rough.
I walk by the property daily. This morning I took a picture.
Over the past decade, we’ve seen this property go from being a productive enterprise, stand vacant, deteriorate, and become blight. And, sadly, it is not the only one. There are several.
I’m wondering — have we become so enamored with our bureaucratic steps that we’ve lost sight of the goal? Everyone is a stakeholder and has input. I noted that at the hearing, one of the Planning Commissioners suggested the proposed apartment building be six inches shorter.
Perhaps the approval proceedings have become the goal. Meetings are held, the minutes are kept, but the hours and years are lost. Maybe that is our problem. Or maybe it’s just one of our problems.
As viewed from the outside, our layered bureaucracy may appear too daunting to manage. Developers enter the process with the notion that it is broken, lengthy, and expensive. They expect nothing to happen quickly, and we oblige.
But regardless of the reasons and I am sure there are others — the cost to the community is significant. The decade-long delays are disheartening for the neighborhood.
The other day I saw an announcement about the various city commissions and advisory opportunities that are available, most all of them voluntary. I took a look, but I didn’t see what I was hoping for.
I think we need a committee to help move things along. Cut through the bureaucracy and facilitate redevelopment. The Getting Sh*t Done Advisory Council. They would meet standing up. No PowerPoint.
It is in all our interests to figure this out.
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