CVS to open this Sunday, Jan. 22 - What will you do? Support? Boycott? Protest?

[SonomaPatientsCoop]

What are u smoking, David?I don't know if you were around in 2013-14, when the Planning Commission, Design Review, and City Council had meetings about the new CVS. If you had attended those meetings, you would have learned that the vast vast vast majority of people in Sebastopol opposed the new CVS, as inappropriate in its new location.

Indeed- I was around- and at many of the meetings. And I disagree with your conclusions. I'd say a large segment of a small segment of Sebastopol and surrounding areas was strongly opposed to it. And I learned many, many years ago not to judge support/opposition by the presence at such at meetings- because you have 3 types of peope that attend:

1) those with a vested interested,
2) those in opposition , and
3) your general local cranks.

And #2 is too often made up of those who are either wealthy, unemployed, retired, or, around here, "alternatively employed". I don't have the luxury of living in the Sebastopol bubble. I interact regularly with people of wildly divergent views in our community- and to be clear- the vast majority of people couldn't have cared less about the project. Some had general unease about it- a probably equal number supported it.

And, for the record- I was totally appalled our council took the steps it did (the temporary drive-thru ban) which ended up costing us $330K++. Idiotic and illegal move- and if this had been a conservative council pulling such moves to block a dispensary, a solar project, etc...

I'm sorry. I don't like CVS being there. Glad at least Chase isn't .But this is (or was before Trump) a free country, and while there was maybe the normal shadiness in such projects, it was overwhelmingly above board and legal. More than I can say for our council's actions.

Regardless- the battle was lost. Are we REALLY going to continue to wast time whining over this which will accomplish nothing? OR can we refocus those energies on the more important issues facing us- of which there are no shortage. But ffs- this thread- and the others, are beginning to remind me of Darrel Issa - Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! . It's over. The battle was lost long ago. And there are FAR more important issues to put our energies into.

[rossmen]

You called it jonathan, then and now, and i appreciate your attention. Traffic is complicated, and yet it flows like water. Sebtown floods most days, and without channel improvement the inundation will spread farther. Cutting flow is a legit strategy, but always a drop in a bucket. We can wish for alternative solutions, feet, bikes, trains, and do it ourselves, but cars rule.

I noticed that my friend Barry decided not to list my investigative story about CVS and the singular role that a suspiciously rigged traffic report played in bringing getting the CVS project passed..e.

[rossmen]

Lots of informed posters have pointed out the errors in your complaints. One example, there was an election, and a new council made different decisions, first temporary, now permanent. If you're complaining about people still complaining, look in the mirror. Sure decisions ahead are more important than decisions made, and lessons learned from past decision making are invaluable.

Indeed- I was around- and at many of the meetings. And I disagree with your conclusions...

[SonomaPatientsCoop]

Lots of informed posters have pointed out the errors in your complaints. One example, there was an election, and a new council made different decisions, first temporary, now perminent. If you're complaining about people still complaining, look in the mirror. Sure decisions ahead are more important than decisions made, and lessons learned from past decision making are invaluable.

I'm not sure what your point is supposed to be? I was oppsed to CVS/Chase. We lost. I won't shop there. But it's over... bigger fish to fry....

And yes "lots of "informed" people have pointed out flaws in my logic. You DO realize how much you sound like the denizens of Breitbart, WND etc ?

Good luck out there.

[John Eder]

"But ffs- this thread- and the others, are beginning to remind me of Darrel Issa - Benghazi! Benghazi! Benghazi! . It's over. The battle was lost long ago."

We can't bring the ambassador and the others lost at Benghazi back to life; we likely can't/won't rebuild the embassy in Libya and we cannot likely find/kill everyone involved in the attack.

We can, however, through concerted effort, attempt to turn this CVS location into an "underperforming store". If it finds itself on that list, it may be a candidate for closure. It may achieve this status on its own, given the crazy access issues...

CVS has announced the closure of 70 locations in early 2017, so it does occur.

[Diane Darling]

So, we were bamboozled by two multinational corporations who somehow persuaded city officials to find in their favor (threats of lawsuits, as I recall). We lost. Surprise, surprise! We have a faux brick monstrosity clogging the entry to our little town visually and in terms of traffic flow.

But why are we kicking this dead horse? CVS, or at least the building, is there to stay. Let's move on to:
The Hotel.

Not satisfied with making it tedious to come and go through our front door, our city fathers are now installing yet another eyesore and traffic burden in the same area, further impeding traffic and raising the limit for building height in Sebtown. The camel has his nose in the tent, or is it his whole head? What will be next?

Was this the same sort of thinking that laid a major freeway roaring through Santa Rosa? The same thinking that gave us a hideous hole in Santa Rosa center, killing businesses, leaving no place for peace? How long has it been so far - over a year, isn't it? Over budget much? All so we can have a little scrap of San Jose at the heart of our venerable city.

The CVS travesty has to be borne at this point. Do we have to choke down the hotel, also? Then, with a hotel, how about an event center, maybe somewhere on the Laguna?

Yeah, let's face it, the golden age of Sebastopol is fading fast as we are colonized by money. It could be worse, and it will be.

[John Eder]

"Regardless- the battle was lost. Are we REALLY going to continue to wast time whining over this which will accomplish nothing?"

As former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Tip O'Neill said: "All politics are local".

That's why I participate in the Trump Resistance Monday through Saturday, reserving Sunday for my special brand of ire against CVS...

I hope to see as many people as can make it this Sunday at 10 a.m., in front of CVS- let them know how thrilled you are by their presence in our community!

[starcloud]

I'm hoping that if no one supports CVS, they will pack up and leave Sebastopol the way McDonald's did.

[tommy]

Regarding the 101 freeway through Santa Rosa: it's my understanding that 101 was originally planned for the route where Stony Point now is, but the town parents (fathers & mothers) wanted it to go thru Santa Rosa, for business reasons. If it had gone on Stony Point, there's little doubt that the area west of Stony Point, including Sebastopol, would have the relative tranquility that it has now.

...Was this the same sort of thinking that laid a major freeway roaring through Santa Rosa? ...

[rossmen]

My point is that your analysis of cvs in sebastopol contains factual errors which you don't seem to want to recognise. Why be here, if you don't want to learn?

...And yes "lots of "informed" people have pointed out flaws in my logic. You DO realize how much you sound like the denizens of Breitbart, WND etc ? ....