CVS Looks Better Than Expected.

[pearl g]

I'm still a hater. Don't get me wrong. I was so peeved about the new GloboCorp Mega Store. Venting here on WaccoBB.net was very therapeutic.
Driving into Sebastopol last week after being gone for 6 months, I realized that their victory was real, and came to terms with it. Then I tried to see the positives and take a wait-and-see attitude. Recycled bricks would have looked better or course, but the walls have a nice old-timey Petaluma feel.
My questions are these: Aren't the builders of CVS required to provide an art installation equal to a certain percentage of the cost of the building? I thought I'd ask the community. Isn't that still a local law?
Also, whats going to become of the "old" CVS building? How much worse can it possibly get? Maybe I'm not ready for the answer. If they open an Applebee's there I'm moving to Canada. Discuss.

[John Eder]

Thanks for remaining a hater- I am as well (and there are many of us). CVS rates our anger for, among other reasons, the manner in which they deceived the City during settlement negotiations to resolve their lawsuit against us. Channel your hate for this newly-manufactured blight in our downtown by never stepping foot in the store, and encouraging as many friends as possible (especially from further West County) to do the same.

While they are also corporate, Safeway and Rite Aid (Walgreens) are nearby and more easily accessed for many West County residents. And for truly "GO LOCAL", Forestville Pharmacy delivers to Sebastopol for about $5.00, I believe. The "bricks" that you refer to are fake- no actual bricks were used to construct the building. They are more like Legos, stuck to the shell of the building. Yes, art-in-lieu fees are a standard fee for all new commercial development. I can't recall if they agreed to provide the art or pay the fees. If you really want to know, call Kenyon Webster, the Planning Director for Sebastopol, for confirmation.

Don't start practicing saying "Eh?" quite yet. CVS owns the "old" store in the Redwood Marketplace, separate from the rest of the shopping center (I understand that it has been on the market, and may have sold by now). The center was recently purchased from a local family by a group of investors. They also own a shopping center in Healdsburg that had a Long's Drug Store in it. When that closed, it was replaced by a Dollar Tree. Based on conversations with the representative of the new owners, a similar result is likely in Sebastopol as well. The rumor that I remember was that Applebee's was going to locate at the old lumber yard/tractor store site, now the potential site of Hotel Sebastopol.

It has been the job of CVS to illuminate the glowing red "CVS Pharmacy" signs at the new store, which they have done. Now our work begins. By withholding our patronage as a community (Sebastopol) and as a region (West County), our job is to extinguish those illuminated signs as soon as possible. The new store opens soon- get to work.

P.S.- The parking lot at the new store is public parking. Please park there as often as possible without patronizing the store to help clog up the parking lot, and be sure to occupy the spaces closest to the store entrance first.

I'm still a hater. Don't get me wrong. I was so peeved about the new GloboCorp Mega Store. Venting here on WaccoBB.net was very therapeutic....

[Thad]

What are the rules for the public parking/ hours? Are there special dispensations for over night parking? Midnight prayer services for the maker crowd?

P.S.- The parking lot at the new store is public parking. Please park there as often as possible without patronizing the store to help clog up the parking lot, and be sure to occupy the spaces closest to the store entrance first.

[bushin]

Looks better than expected now; wait until the window lights are on 24/7.

[Ted Pole]

P.S.- The parking lot at the new store is public parking. Please park there as often as possible without patronizing the store to help clog up the parking lot, and be sure to occupy the spaces closest to the store entrance first.

While I've never been a fan of this new building from a design and impact point, I'm wondering if the community "starves them out" as you suggest, what becomes of the building? I'm sure the sale price would be prohibitive to all but the most corporate of replacements. And then it goes to seed like the Pellini dealership it replaced, and that's not good for our town at all. Or worse, tasting rooms.

Also, I don't think mau-mauing the parking spaces at the front door helps your cause. It just makes it look like the store is being patronized, and makes it tougher on people who might actually be sick and need something from the store, like a prescription or something. I've experienced problems with Rite-Aid in that way, where every parking space was filled, yet there were only three people in the store. It sucked, and all because nobody had the foresight to plan for parking in downtown S'pol.

[Mimus]

Thanks for opening this discussion. I want to second John Eder's call for boycott. I think it's time to take a stand against corporate bullying. We can't anticipate the results, but we know the result of patronizing the store. CVS will have been vindicated. Their gamble will pay off and they will continue to take legal hostages in order to source profits wherever they please. Enough.

[tommy]

Hate is a toxic emotion.

Thanks for remaining a hater- I am as well (and there are many of us). ...

[Shepherd]

I agree with Tommy. The front page of the current Sonoma West has a photo of people with signs such as "Love Trumps Hate." Yesterday, even in the rain, a group of people, mainly from Analy Hi, stood on a corner at the Sebastopol Plaza with such signs and chanting "We Love You."

3 of the most successful revolutionaries--Martin Luther King, Jr., Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela-- were successful because they were not motivated by hate. They truly changed history for people of color, as well as for all of us.

Hate is a toxic emotion.

[Magick]

I am sure we are not talking about "hating" people, just that the
Corporate
Virus
Sucks!
...and that the
Corporate
Virus
Spreading

is a contagious disease so stay away from CVS to stay Healthy for the Holidays!

[Shepherd]

Good clarification. Yes, the corporate virus, which is spreading with it bullies, is a contagious disease.

As I've thought more about feelings in response to what is happening, I want to put in a good word for 2 feelings that many people criticize--fear and anger. It depends on what you do with them. I have fear for what will happen, but not the kind that hinders me from acting. I am also angry, and I try to direct it against what I am angry about.

[photolite]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7i7Lwg3w_zU

Hate is a toxic emotion.

[farmerdan]

There is a lot to this discussion that confuses me:

1) The old Pellini site was an eyesore of immense proportions. Anything would look better than what was there.
There was no landscaping and just a bunch of falling down buildings.
2) The site was long ago zoned for commercial development by multiple city councils, who set all of the standards for development, which CVS has followed or they would not have gotten an approved project.
3) CVS has been in Sebastopol for a long time and obviously serves a purpose or would have gone out of business a long time ago.
4) To my understanding, the city spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax dollars in a vain attempt to stop CVS (or anybody) from developing a location that they themselves zoned commercial eons ago and was a complete eyesore.
5) Some people (including council members at public meetings) tried to blame the Pellinis for doing what the city had long before approved, selling their property as a commercial lot. (I remember the Pellinis as one of the most generous families in the community, who supported local kids sports and many other non-profits. Pauline Pellini is the energizer bunny who has done more for Sebastopol than anybody I know.)
6) Now, we have people (including current council members) who want us to 'hate' CVS and boycott the business or perhaps 'hate' all corporations?

I guess I am just too old and stupid to understand any of this.

Good clarification. Yes, the corporate virus, which is spreading with it bullies, is a contagious disease.

Shepherd, I hate to break this to you but we live in a corporate culture (and world) and like it or not, we need corporations to do all of the things that individuals can't do (which is almost everything in a highly technical society like ours.) Better (I think) to understand the interconnectedness that we have with all people (and corporations) than to pretend that we can live independent of them and advocate hatred.

[Magick]

The Pellini's had an opportunity to sell their property to a local architect and the Maker's Faire which would've been a perfect match for Sebastopol. I wrote a public commentary about it in Sonoma West if you want to check it out.

As soon as CVS came on the scene they dropped this excellent proposal.

CVS will be closing their Redwood Marketplace outlet making the future of that shopping center unstable.
When we talked to the public, what they liked about CVS being there was the ease for elders, the sick and disabled to get into the store. They felt that the downtown location would be much more challenging.
CVS has a history of buying up the center of small towns and undercutting local businesses until they fold.
There is plenty of evidence of this if you take the time to do the research.

...
5) Some people (including council members at public meetings) tried to blame the Pellinis for doing what the city had long before approved, ...

[farmerdan]

Magick,

I appreciate that many people, including yourself thought that they knew better than the Pellinis and CVS what they should do. However, that is not the same as being in their shoes. The Pellinis clearly did not think their option to sell to Maker's Faire was a reasonable one. CVS clearly believed very strongly that this was a better location for them.

But my real point is that both CVS and Pellini played by the rules established by the city long ago and reiterated in every general plan since. Hating them for that seems out of character for a city that prides itself on being caring and friendly.

The Pellini's had an opportunity to sell their property to a local architect and the Maker's Faire which would've been a perfect match for Sebastopol. ...

[Magick]

BOYCOTT CVS!
First of all, no one hates the Pellinis. They did keep saying that there were no other viable offers and that was disingenuous. When I found out there was I wrote the commentary that Sonoma West published.
Playing by the "rules" in our country means that money and property ownership "trumps" the integrity of community and the focus of most small towns to stay as local as possible. We have the Stay Local campaign because we value our unique character.

These examples show that CVS just pays fines and keeps its corporate license to destroy small town economies by setting prices that small pharmacies can't match, pollutes the environment, and was a big supplier of ingredients for methamphetamine.

As of May 30, 2008, no less than SIX (6) SEPARATE LAWSUITS have been filed against CVS Pharmacy (or its related companies) on behalf of employees who were denied REST BREAKS, MEAL BREAKS, VACATION PAY, and/or OVERTIME PAY.

A CVS pharmacist has just won $2.6 million for her part in bringing a whistleblower lawsuit against CVS for alleged Medicaid fraud.

SETTLEMENT INFORMATION
Tong v. CVS
Pharmacists in California won a lawsuit against CVS for 19,750,000 for failure to provide meal breaks, overtime, and straight time wages.

Browse: Home / CVS Fined for Dumping Hazardous Waste in CA
CVS Fined for Dumping Hazardous Waste in CA
By Bob Plain on April 20, 2012
California judge has ordered Rhode Island-based CVS to pay $13.75 million in fines to 45 cities and towns in the Golden State for improper dumping of hazardous materials and hypodermic needles.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- CVS Pharmacy Inc. has agreed to pay $77.6 million in fines and returned profits in a case alleging improper control in the sale of an ingredient used to make methamphetamine, federal prosecutors said Thursday.

There are many stories of what CVS and Walmart do to the character of small towns. Here are a couple...
Panel Blocks a Larger CVS Store in Katonah
and
No welcome mat for proposed CVS store in St. James

I appreciate that our people and our council had the courage to stand up as long as they could until CVS was willing to bankrupt us for their profits.

But my real point is that both CVS and Pellini played by the rules established by the city long ago and reiterated in every general plan since. Hating them for that seems out of character for a city that prides itself on being caring and friendly.

[Barry]

Dan, there's at least 2 big problems with the CVS development:

1) It's a high volume/ low transaction value business at one of the busiest intersections in town with challenging ingress/egress access that will impede traffic on both of our highways.

2) As you point out, Dan, we do live in a "corporate culture" (though I wouldn't put it that way). But some corporations are worse than others, and CVS is amongst the worst! They were a member of ALEC until Occupy Wall Street exposed that nefarious organization, and negotiated with the city of Sebastopol in bad faith (documented, in part, here by councilmember John Eder) in addition to agreeing to construct the building with a true second floor (it has a false second floor now) and I'm sure there is much more.

Having them at Redwood marketplace was tolerable, after they bought the well-regarded (corporate) Longs Drugs and then raised the prices. Having them in the heart of our sweet downtown is not!

It was a failure on behalf of the city's zoning, IMO, that allowed such a inappropriate use for that key parcel.

[farmerdan]

Barry,

First let me say that I have fought developments at times even when the lefties were all supporting them. I fought the O'reilly project because I thought the scale of the project was far in excess of something that should be plopped in the middle of a residential area and at the time it was outside the city's general plan. This had nothing to do with O'reilly or his business. He had a lot of support from locals so got through even though these were major flaws. Fortunately, he only built about half of what he got approval for and shelved the rest when his business shrank. (He was approved for 180,000 sq ft but only built out about 90,000 and has had a hard time renting excess. Otherwise there would be a 3 story parking garage and the whole back end of the property (now in gardens) would be in buildings. So I am absolutely not saying that some projects don't deserve opposition.
But hating him and boycotting him would seem childish in the extreme. He beat us fair and square with lots of lawyers.

In reading through the pages you referenced I see a lot of blaming the former council, the Pellinis and of course CVS and you're blaming the zoning process. But zoning is really designed to approve projects, not tenants. Projects will be around for a 100 years or more, tenants come and go. Just look at how many have changed hands over the last forty years! As was pointed out, CVS bought Longs and likely someone will buy them. The fact that they were part of alec and had lawsuits against them is not something we write into our general plan, nor could we have a morality test for project approval.

I remember 3 lumber companies in town, the bowling alley, the Green Dragon, Marty's Top of the Hill, 3 independent drug stores, Carlson's clothing store, and a lot of apple orchards that are now in housing. As the Dalai Lama says 'everything passes, everything changes, nothing stays the same.'

So, projects should be approved based on the buildings and improvements, not on who is going to occupy them because chances are someone else will take them over long before the building is torn down. (I do agree with you that traffic will be impacted there with a high traffic business but likely this was CalTrans decision.) But even after all that, and even if you think you got screwed in the process, it is time for some grace and to say 'Welcome to Sebastopol' when we are going to live with them for a while. Not that we are going to be 'haters' for the rest of our lives.

[Barry]

... Projects will be around for a 100 years or more, tenants come and go. ...

Precisely! The CVS boycott is just trying to speed up this process. It's also why the final screw-you from CVS (not designing a second floor that was agreed to) is particularly bothersome, since the city council requested it so the building would be more flexible and be able to accommodate future non-bigbox tenants.

[Beanie]

Wow - from the title of this thread, I thought I would be reading something encouraging. It is hard to believe the venom and hatred here coming from PeaceTown.

I for one, will continue to shop CVS - I don't as a rule shop Safeway and would not step foot into Rite Aid, primairly because of their pharmacy. But I won't add to the baggage by saying why.

I guess with elections over, the needle needs to point somewhere!

[monicapl]

I'm hoping that Trader Joe's comes to the old CVS location. I'd love to not have to drive into Santa Rosa to do a bulk of my shopping. I will still use Community Market for some of my shopping, but for the price you can't beat TJ's. I also realize this is unlikely with Lucky's nextdoor.

[Magick]

Imagine a place where we could have incubator green businesses, or the Maker Faire might still be interested. Let's not assume it just means more corporate abuse.

While I've never been a fan of this new building from a design and impact point, I'm wondering if the community "starves them out" as you suggest, what becomes of the building?...

[Ted Pole]

Imagine a place where we could have incubator green businesses, or the Maker Faire might still be interested. Let's not assume it just means more corporate abuse.

Well that would be lovely, but given the amount of money it would take, I doubt incubator green business, whose premise is economically shaky to begin with (hence the incubator), would be able to handle the overhead. I mean, unless the whole thing was a non-profit enterprise, and I wonder how the town council would react to a loss of tax revenue like that.

Not trying to be the cold water man, here, but I've seen a lot of small businesses come and go in this town, and that was just along the usual downtown/116 corridor.

Also, you should know that Make (parent of Maker Faire) left Sebass for SF because they couldn't find good enough workers here.

I've no idea what the solution might be for a profitable enterprise that would be acceptable to the local taste makers, but whatever it might be, they'd still have a big, ugly building to do it in.

[oc99]

I started adding a few more words on occasion when I say something sucks. "It sucks energy bad." Thought you'd enjoy that. Thanks for the warning to stay away frm cvs.

[Sara S]

When CVS first took over Long's, I went in there for one item; the price was more than TWICE what it was at Walmart, so I never went back. A friend said "But I thought they were cheap" which is the impression you might get from the "loss-leaders" in their ads (like most big stores).

[sqb]

With all due respect, there's a lot more serious stuff going on right now in Washington, in case you haven't noticed, than your indignation toward the ugliness of a local chain drug store.

Boycott? It's not going to make them go away.

[Evalena Rose]

I totally agree and find it even hard to drive by and see what was allowed to be built there. Deceit and deception do not win my favor.

Dan, there's at least 2 big problems with the CVS ...

[Berta]

I'm a relative newcomer to Sebastopol. With Rite Aid practically around the corner, why the need for another drug store in the downtown area?

I totally agree and find it even hard to drive by and see what was allowed to be built there. Deceit and deception do not win my favor.

[Magick]

I like my drug dealers easily accessible, don't you? I mean, since CVS was a major supplier of the ingredients of methamphetamine and they paid a fine of 75 million because it was a drop in the bucket and their profits are still climbing, I'd have to say that these guys know how to do business, right?
That probably means they'll spend locally on wine and shit, so they're good for the economy, right?
There is really nothing to debate here if you care about local businesses. Many of their products will effect the profit margin of many businesses besides the other pharmacies.
So if you want to help, spread the word to boycott.
Boycotts work, with the internet its easy to organize a FB page where people can pledge to boycott and invite friends to do it.
I worked against this for years can y'all pick up the ball?
I've given you some of the evidence from the past.
Oh! Did you see all the young people with signs saying to boycott when the construction first started?
They would like to have a town that means something to them.
BOYCOTT CVS!

[oc99]

I don't really know much about cvs my comment was only to share those additional words to the phrase "it sucks".
I could add that phrase to the presidential election situation.