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2008: Davis City Council to vote July 15 on Westlake Plaza market zoning exemption
Report on upcoming Davis City Council vote on zoning exemption for Westlake Plaza
DAVIS, Calif. -- June 20, 2008 -- The Davis City Council is scheduled to vote July 15 on a request by the owner of the Westlake Plaza shopping center to convert most of the empty supermarket space on Lake Boulevard to offices. A newly formed grassroots organization, Davis Advocates for Neighborhood Groceries (DANG), is urging Davis residents to demand that the City Council deny this request.
Thousands of residents who live west of Highway 113 have been without convenient access to food and other staples since 2006 when the "Food Fair" market closed its doors. The out-of-town owners of the shopping center, Jim Barcewski and Farrokh Hosseinyoun, claim that the center can no longer support a supermarket, despite the fact that markets have operated at the location for many years. The center owners are seeking a city zoning change that would allow them to convert most of the 22,000 square-foot supermarket to office space or other uses.
The Westlake Plaza shopping center, located at the intersection of Lake Boulevard and Arlington Boulevard in West Davis, was built in the 1980s and comprises about 70,000 square-feet of retail and office space. The center includes restaurants, a laundrymat, dry cleaners, video store, coffee and bakery shop and other businesses. Major neighborhoods that are located near the shopping center include Stonegate, Village Homes, Aspen and Westwood. Many residents of Winters and West Plainfield also partronize the center.
A group of local residents, not satisfied that all options have been explored to locate another market in the center, has formed a non-profit orgainzation, Davis Advocates for Neighborhood Groceries, and has gathered more than 700 signatures on petitions urging the City Council to uphold the decision of the city's Planning Commission to deny the zoning change.
DANG is asking Davis residents to write letters to the local newspaper, communicate with City Council members, and attend the July 15 Council meeting in person to testify on this issue. DANG, meanwhile, is reaching out to different food establishments to determine their level of interest in opening up in West Davis. In addition, DANG is working with the City of Davis Economic Development Department on an economic analysis to attempt to learn if the area west of Highway 113 can indeed support a supermarket.
For more information, visit the DANG website -- www.davisdang.org -- or call Carolyn Hinshaw at (530) 757-2830.
DANG also encourages residents to contact the Davis City Council members directly:
Sue Greenwald: sgreenwald@ci.davis.ca.us
Ruth Asmundson: rasmundson@ci.davis.ca.us
Lamar Heystek: lheystek@ci.davis.ca.us
Don Saylor: dsaylor@ci.davis.ca.us
Stephen Souza: ssouza@ci.davis.ca.us
July 15 Council Vote is postponed, City says
I just received official word today from city Planning Director Katherine Hess that the proposed zoning change for the Westlake Plaza Shopping Center will not be on the City Council agenda on July 15 at the request of the landlord. According to Hess in an e-mail response to an inquiry, "No, it is not going in July. The owner has told me that he wants to have a signed lease and a store designed before he goes to the City Council. He is meeting with a prospective tenant within the week. I have my fingers crossed, but don't know any details." More information will be posted to this website as it becomes available.
DANG has learned from Davis Planning Director Katherine Hess that the City Council may not take up the Westlake Plaza zoning issue on July 15. She said the landlord left her a message that he is not ready to proceed on the 15th and that he is still pursuing market tenants. She will let us know when she receives an official written communication from the landlord. When we receive the official word, it will be posted on the davisdang.org website.