From: David Warburg
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2026 12:31 PM
To: [email protected]; Victoria Henkel <[email protected]>; City Council <[email protected]>
Subject: Keeping Sebastopl Alive
DAVID WARBURG
SEBASTOPOL, CA 95472
KEEPING SEBASTOPOL LOCAL
Dear Members of the Planning Commission and City Council, I am concerned that allowing the proposed Grocery Outlet to open in the former Rite Aid site would not improve our community; instead, it would mark a significant setback in preserving the “special community feeling” for Sebastopol.
I understand and sympathize with the financial pressures facing the City and its need to increase tax revenue. However, allowing Grocery Outlet to open would generate only modest revenue potential and would not address the City’s broader challenge of funding its ongoing operations.
While the proposal might address some immediate financial concerns, I believe it would merely postpone the critical underlying problems. Rather than solving the City’s revenue challenges, it might well create much larger long-term problems if our small independent businesses lose customers and are forced to close.
You/We need to look for a longer-term plan to resolve this. One possible solution would be to relocate the library, City Hall, and police department to the former Rite Aid building, then sell the vacated properties to developers.
Isn’t it time for the city to approach its challenges more creatively? A citizens’ committee could help develop and recommend practical solutions.
Regards,
David Warburg