Unanswered CVS Questions for Sebastopol’s Planning Director Kenyon Webster

[Peacetown Jonathan]

Public Interest Questions for Sebastopol’s Planning Director Kenyon Webster

August 21, 2012

This is an open letter to Mr. Kenyon Webster, Sebastopol’s Planning Director. As a Sebastopol resident and taxpayer, as well as an investigative reporter with extensive professional experience in public processes, real estate, and city government. I ask these questions publically, to provide transparency to a process that I feel has lacked public transparency to this point in time. It is my hope that Sebastopol’s Planning Director, paid by a public salary, can take the time to answer these questions/.

I hope to publically post Mr. Webster’s unedited answers to these questions with the same prominence, and distribution, which I am using to now ask them. I ask that our City Council, Mayor and City Manager/Attorney also request a transparent, public answer to these questions, which I believe are in the best interest of taxpayers, and citizens of Sebastopol, to have answered. I also invite local media reporters to try to find the answers to these pressing public interest questions as well.

1. Has Sebastopol’s Planning Department done an analysis of the economic benefits, in terms of real estate tax, sales tax, and jobs, of the CVS/Chase Project? If yes, can you provide that analysis to the public? If not, why is this not a function of the city’s planning department?
2. Why did you not provide the Jewell Avenue and Bodega Highway intersection to AECOM as part of the Traffic study? Why was Bodega and High Street included but not Jewell Street, where greater traffic backs up at peak hours.
3. Does the Mitigated Negative Declaration LEGALLY MANDATE that there will be no left turns from High and Bodega Street going from the North and South direction as a result of this project? Does the Council’s conditional approval of the project mean that they have also voted to ban these left turns once the project is complete?
4. Did the AECOM traffic study include additional traffic from the Barlow Project, or did you suggest this was not necessary. If it was not necessary, why not?
5. What is the professional and educational background of Mr. Webster, a sit pertains to design and planning? Is a public biography available?
6. What does the “Small Town” design of Sebastopol’s general plan mean to you aesthetically?
7. How many years have you served as Planning Director, and what is your current compensation, with benefits?

Respectfully submitted,

Jonathan Greenberg

[La.Sereniti]

Great questions Jon!

I would suggest however, striking number 5 and 7. Please let's not make this issue personal.

I can imagine that people making this issue personal has happened hundreds of times in the past 2 years among many people. A week ago, I have a relation which has taken my position personally because he is a land owner that has commercial property adjacent to it. He might be too busy too return calls now... but I doubt it.

PLEASE EVERYONE LET'S FOCUS ON THE ((ISSUE)) NOT THE PERSON. We may not agree with another perspective, but we can learn from another person's point of view. Eventually this will all settle out... and I hope that not too many friendships were lost along the way.

In fact I encourage those that had the issue get in the way of their relationships (no blame): Send an email or call and say, "Hey, I just want you to know that I really like you as a person. I am sad that our opposing views keep us from getting along. I believe we can learn from each other by listening to each other's perspective. ...And we can also respectfully agree to disagree. ---- After all it is about the issue, not the person.

Take a deep breath..... I hope this helps many people to consider these thoughts.

~* Sereniti
[email protected]

PS... Thanks to Rotary International for allowing me the privilege of doing my MBA in France. As an Ambassadorial Rotarian Scholar, I had the privilege of learning that politics and religion are perfectly acceptable to discuss at the dinner table. Respectfully agreeing to disagree is encouraged. If you gain a valuable perspective that you might not have otherwise had, than you are valued for that and gain respect.

What a great aspect of that culture to witness!!! For which I am forever grateful. This is the way membership in a community should be... and it doesn't get personal. .....Do you have any idea how much the world mocked America for making such a huge stink about Clinton's sex life??? The world seriously thinks for the most part we are shallow consumers.

So while I may have never joined Rotary as I'd hoped (It is a little expensive), I respect what they taught me and I hope that even if Rotary itself never benefits directly..... I hope the world will.

********About Rotary

This objective (of Rotary) is set against the "Rotary 4-way Test", used to see if a planned action is compatible with the Rotarian spirit. The test was developed by Rotarian and entrepreneur Herbert J. Taylor during the Great Depression as a set of guidelines for restoring faltering businesses and was adopted as the standard of ethics by Rotary in 1942. It is still seen as a standard for ethics in business management:[4]

The 4-Way Test considers the following questions in respect to thinking, saying or doing:

* Is it the truth?
* Is it fair to all concerned?
* Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
* Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Public Interest Questions for Sebastopol’s Planning Director Kenyon Webster

...

1. Has Sebastopol’s Planning Department done an analysis of the economic benefits, in terms of real estate tax, sales tax, and jobs, of the CVS/Chase Project? If yes, can you provide that analysis to the public? If not, why is this not a function of the city’s planning department?
2. Why did you not provide the Jewell Avenue and Bodega Highway intersection to AECOM as part of the Traffic study? Why was Bodega and High Street included but not Jewell Street, where greater traffic backs up at peak hours.
3. Does the Mitigated Negative Declaration LEGALLY MANDATE that there will be no left turns from High and Bodega Street going from the North and South direction as a result of this project? Does the Council’s conditional approval of the project mean that they have also voted to ban these left turns once the project is complete?
4. Did the AECOM traffic study include additional traffic from the Barlow Project, or did you suggest this was not necessary. If it was not necessary, why not?
5. What is the professional and educational background of Mr. Webster, a sit pertains to design and planning? Is a public biography available?
6. What does the “Small Town” design of Sebastopol’s general plan mean to you aesthetically?
7. How many years have you served as Planning Director, and what is your current compensation, with benefits?

Respectfully submitted,

Jonathan Greenberg