HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem #1B - Tim O'Bayley emailFrom:tim@obayley.net
To:Planning
Cc:Kathleen Weremiuk
Subject:Planning Commission meeting 6/26/24 - item 1B
Date:Monday, June 24, 2024 9:36:50 AM
Importance:High
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Greetings Kathy and members of the Planning Commission. There is an item on the consent
agenda for your next meeting regarding the vacation of Museum Way (between Belardo and
Museum Drive).
While you may consider that this vacation of the street is consistent with the General Plan, I
urge you to acknowledge the history of the street itself. The staff report accurately states that
“Museum Way is not identified in the Circulation Element of the City’s 2007 General Plan as
a public roadway.The Downtown Specific Plan, approved in 2016, does identify Museum
Way as a public roadway called Main Street and was shown to extend from North Palm
Canyon Drive west to Museum Drive.” So this street didn’t exist when the General Plan of
2007 was created. Your guiding document must therefore be the Downtown Specific Plan.
Some people may not recall the many years spent crafting the Downtown Specific Plan, but I
do and I know some of you on the Planning Commission do. City staff and many citizens gave
many hours of time to the discussion and evolution of the Downtown Specific Plan.
Moreover, Measure J was ’sold’ to the voters partly due to the concept of purchasing land (the
former Desert Fashion Plaza) from Wessman/Grit Development to allow the City to own the
public parking in the area and reinstate a grid of public streets. The downtown park was also
part of this plan that took so much work to put together. Measure J, which I wholeheartedly
support, helped to make our ’new’ downtown possible. Furthermore, our ’new downtown’ is
not yet complete, with several ‘blocks’ or parcels slated for future development. Block F in
particular could be negatively affected by the permanent closure of Museum Way, as could the
other nearby parcels. “We” wanted that street there.
I am not writing because I have any particular dislike of the Forever Marilyn statue, but rather
because I believe that the street should not be permanently vacated for ANY reason. That
would not be consistent with the SPIRIT of the Downtown Plan.
I urge you to reject the applicant’s request.
Tim O'Bayley
760-799-3845
2250 N. Leonard Road
Palm Springs CA 92262