A recently published letter talked about all the empty rhetoric concerning the Target store. I also believe that using facts is a better way to make decisions on our growth.
The rhetoric most often used by proponents of big retail in Scotts Valley is that it will help the city financially. For proof of this, I went online and found an interesting comparison between Gilroy and Scotts Valley.
Gilroy has already done what some here have suggested, by building a large, popular retail space called the Premium Outlets. For comparison, it has approximately 3.8 times more space than the Target. The only pertinent difference I could find was that Santa Clara County has nearly a 37 percent higher household income than Santa Cruz County, according to the 2000 census.
So, what did I find? The big picture is Gilroy is having just as many, if not more, financial problems than us. They even talked about closing a firehouse recently, and their original downtown is suffering because of the outlets. Please go onto the Web for all the details.
And please don’t use the tired old rhetoric that big retail will help us financially. The facts just don’t seem to verify that. Instead, let’s try something original, like living within our means.
"Living within our means?" That's a pretty easy phrase to toss out there. Tell that to the residents who want their parks maintained, their roads smooth, their storm drains operating, their sewer plant functional, and their first responders able to respond quickly. Go through the budgets of any of your local governing agencies -- city, water, fire, school -- you won't find any fluff there. Most are very thinly staff, and the stress level's pretty high as they try to just keep up (living within their means).
Big retail never was the answer in SV. For 40 years, no one ever thought a retailer the size of Target would ever consider locating here. I suspect the same will be said for the next 40 years. It was a blip in time. It's time for us to get over it. Little retail will have to suffice. We will live within our means. There really isn't any choice, is there?
Over 50% of budget.