From: Lars
To: Patrick Slayter; Neysa Hinton; Diana Rich; Una Glass; Sarah Glade Gurney Cc: Mary Gourley
Subject: Yes to Parklets, stand up to Cal-Trans
Date: Monday, September 19, 2022 4:27:50 PM
Honorable Council members,
I'm writing re: the agenda item about Parklets on tomorrow's agenda. Thank you for your support in making the Parklet in front of Retrograde/Sunshine a permanent one. We all look forward to having that be redesigned into a more comfortable and beautiful space.
I encourage you to do the same for the one near Portico, and for the mini-plaza at the corner of 12 and 116. To imagine that corner switching back from a vibrant public space filled with people to 3 parking spots and a useless roadway would be very disappointing.
Lastly, its quite appalling to see that the City would have to pay to lease these former parking spaces from Cal-Trans: what an absurd thought! Vehicles don't have to lease the spaces, but people enjoying the public realm would have to pay? Maintenance of the right of way would be much easier with a parklet, and would fall to the businesses adjacent, as it does now.
Please continue to support Parklets, and public space for people not cars. Its better for individuals, for businesses, and for our community as a whole. And encourage Cal-Trans to follow their own planning guidelines that encourage small town highways to be slower spaces, and more pedestrian and bike friendly.
Thanks for your time, and for all your work.
Best,
Lars Langberg
Lars Langberg Architects