I'm Still Doing This.

I’ve had a lot of support from the community for the plaza proposal. And not just from the peasants — whose opinions allegedly don’t matter — but from from property owners, from business owners, from the landed gentry.

But at the Granada Hills Street Faire, someone said to me, “I’m surprised you’re still doing this.”

Yeah, I’m still doing this. And here’s why:

  • I still believe attorney Margaret Wilson, whose windows look out over the intersection, when she tells me that she sees three to four accidents per month at that merge lane, every month.
  • I still believe that if Jake Parunyan (owner of Kenn Cleaners and the Menchie's Property, who is blocking this proposal) would agree to at least one proper sit down meeting, we could find some way to work together.
  • I still believe that when one thousand community members sign a petition, that the City Councilman should do more to facilitate discussion. (read comments at http://bit.ly/plazapetition .)
  • I still believe that the people of Granada Hills are clamoring for a centrally located farmer's market.
  • I still believe that our kids from Granada Charter need a safe community space to be in after school. I still believe there’s a better place for them to hang out than the parking lot of Ralphs.
  • I still believe that if 14 business owners sign letters of support for a project, then the Business Improvement District should listen.
  • I still believe the café owner at Sunset Triangle Plaza who told me her business went up 20% when their plaza was installed. (See her athttp://bit.ly/plazavideos .)
  • I still believe that this project can be a win-win for business and community.
  •  I still believe the naysayers who denigrate this project by saying “What if someone built this in front of your house?” are completely missing the point. The intersection of Chatsworth and Zelzah is more than just someone’s private front yard. It’s the center and the heart of the community we all share.
  • I still believe that a traffic signal light is a faster way to move traffic than a stop sign.
  • I still believe we should make Veteran’s Memorial Park a focal point and a gathering place that feels accessible — not like a remote island surrounded on all sides by fast moving traffic. (And when a place has more people gathering in it and is more visible, that means less graffiti, not more.)
  • I still believe that — like we’ve seen at food truck nights, like we’ve seen at the Granada Hills Street Faire — this community is a better place when we have occasions and places to come out and gather and connect with our friends and neighbors.

So yeah. I’m still doing this. Still. 

Comments

  1. I want to sign your petition. I technically live in Northridge, seconds north of the 118 but I'm in that Granada Hills shopping area more often during the week than I can count. Some people the attendees of the weekly food truck night are "strange" because hardly anyone ever walks down that street! People want a change. If they didn't Joe's Cafe wouldn't have a line out the door every weekend. People would not continue to attend the food truck nights! Count me in on your campaign!

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  2. Boycott Kenn's Cleaners.

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  3. I like what you're doing.
    You have a lot of supporters out there.

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  4. God bless you for trying, Linda...

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  5. Yes I do believe that the community is better when people gather around social occasions.

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  6. Hi, I'm a big fan of your GF blog. Are you not updating this anymore?

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  7. Hey... I've been hired as a reporter by a real newspaper that pays money and everything. Which, sadly, now curtails the time I have for volunteer projects like this one. So while I'm not fully ready to admit defeat, it's true that I don't blog as much as I once did.

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  8. Why is Menchie's against this? I hate parking in the shady alley behind Mama's and Papa's pizza at night and walking to Menchie's around the corner. Menchie's would see far more family foot traffic. The traffic on that merge lane is dangerously close to Menchie's patio right now... A little buffer created by the Plaza would be a boon for Menchie's business.

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