Soon after we published an article about a community meeting held by the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op to present preliminary designs for its new location to residents and and business owners who might be impacted by the move, questions started pouring in, and parking-related questions topped the list. “Why are they building another huge street-fronted parking lot in the urban core,” Sacramento Press reader Tom Runge asked in a story comment. “This will do nothing but create more dead space ... mcorker SolarBozo comment-70702 2012-07-10T17:22:02Z 2012-07-10T17:22:02Z Oh, boo hoo. What a horrible thing, waiting a half hour to get a car-free ride. Jeez, Americans have become a bunch of whining softies. Get a clue, dude, we cannot just keep having everything perfectly our way, it's just not sustainable. SolarBozo 2012-07-10T17:22:02Z Rhys02 comment-70597 2012-07-09T02:01:56Z 2012-07-09T02:01:56Z What the county needs to deal with is why so few of their employees use mass transit. Not only is there a light rail stop within a block, but also a number of bus lines on 29th and 30th. If these folks are getting free parking (well free except that taxpayers are picking up the costs) they are getting something few other urban workers get. Rhys02 2012-07-09T02:01:56Z Curmudgeon comment-70594 2012-07-08T23:33:53Z 2012-07-08T23:33:53Z Why are they building another huge street-fronted parking lot in the urban core??? Because only people with cars make shopping trips with sufficient quantity for a grocery store with selection larger than a "hole in the wall" to function. That's why. Welcome to the Real World. So far only Mark (hat tip) makes any real world observations about using the rails to shop--and he is promptly told to shut up, go queue up, and be a New Soviet Trolleycar Man, while his milk sours and his produce wilts. But GUM (pronounced "Goom") won't work for the Co-Op either. During commute hours on the rail, Mark can be New Standing Room Only Jostling and Dropping Shopping Bags And Losing Their Contents Man, and during non-commute hours Mark can be New Crime Victim Man. Not delightful choices for Mark. Curmudgeon 2012-07-08T23:33:53Z Mark comment-70593 2012-07-08T17:02:28Z 2012-07-08T17:02:28Z And I'm not against community input. Nor do I consider ALL the suggestions/complaints to be nitpicky or unrealistic. I'm a member of the co-op and shop their almost exclusively and it's pretty much in my neighborhood so I think I know a little about the realities of the parking situation. George is worried about his parking space. And there's no doubt that there's going to be conflict here re. county employee parking. That's not the co-op's problem. That's the county's problem. They need to find replacement parking nearby for their employees. Thanks for the shade tips guys. I guess I was thinking more about me melting and wilting in 100+ degree temps waiting for LR at the stop near my home. As for LR running every 15 minutes-- yup that what it says it does alright. The reality however is something different. I'll never stop complaining about LR until they get their act together. Mark 2012-07-08T17:02:28Z William Burg comment-70500 2012-07-06T02:15:09Z 2012-07-06T02:15:09Z The RT Gold Line runs every 15 minutes until about 7:30 PM, and the 29th Street light rail station (the one closest to both the current Co-Op location and the proposed one) is underneath the Capitol City Freeway and thus in shade pretty much all the time. Get one of those insulated reusable cooler bags to hold your butter and lettuce if you're worried about wilting. I'd agree that the rooftop parking idea is pretty unrealistic--it adds considerably to the cost of a building, and the neighborhood is mostly 1-3 story residential and industrial, not the highest-density of land uses. Design, that's in the eye of the beholder--and the person beholding the checkbook. William Burg 2012-07-06T02:15:09Z Midtown George comment-70481 2012-07-05T22:15:44Z 2012-07-05T22:15:44Z I've heard that the Co-op and the developers met with managers representing the Department of Human Assistance. However, no information has trickled-down to the employees. Midtown George 2012-07-05T22:15:44Z Ben Ilfeld comment-70480 2012-07-05T22:12:32Z 2012-07-05T22:12:32Z While I agree that I'm excited, the nitpicky complaints might yield a better design. That's why the Co-op wanted to hear them. It also might expedite the process if neighbors are onboard from day one. If you are interested in butter not melting and walking in the central city then having a plan for shade trees next to sidewalks and such are nitpicky, but needed considerations. Ben Ilfeld 2012-07-05T22:12:32Z Steven Maviglio comment-70476 2012-07-05T21:29:17Z 2012-07-05T21:29:17Z One of the first moves the developers made was to meet with the representatives of employees at the County facility to get their consent. Also, our meetings on the issue have been open to all. That said, I'm sure we'll work with the developer to ensure that workers there are kept to date on the progress we're making at the new site, as we appreciate your patronage. Steven Maviglio 2012-07-05T21:29:17Z Midtown George comment-70472 2012-07-05T20:13:41Z 2012-07-05T20:13:41Z While I commend the Co-op for their outreach, one important stakeholder group has been left out - the County employees who use the 160 spaces in the current parking lot. During the work-week we patronize local businesses. Some of us even shop and have lunch at the Co-op. To date, the 300 employees who work across the street from the current parking lot have never been invited to any of the community meetings. Please a least inform us when future community meetings are to be held. We are part of the neighborhood. Midtown George 2012-07-05T20:13:41Z Mark comment-70469 2012-07-05T19:56:11Z 2012-07-05T19:56:11Z I strongly support this move. It's long overdue. I only live 3 blocks from light-rail and would totally use it to shop @ the co-op IF it would run more frequently. I'm not going to wait 20-40 minutes in the hot sun for a train while my butter melts and my lettuce wilts. Anyway, I think all the complaints about the design are nitpicky and unrealistic. Mark 2012-07-05T19:56:11Z Jared Goyette comment-70461 2012-07-05T16:57:00Z 2012-07-05T16:57:00Z Thanks. We'll add the video to the story. Jared Goyette 2012-07-05T16:57:00Z Steven Maviglio comment-70434 2012-07-05T16:11:27Z 2012-07-05T16:11:27Z Thanks for your continuing focus on the Co-op's relocation. FYI, we held four meetings for our owners on the move, hosted Facebook discussions, had in-store Q&A, neighborhood meetings and produced this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTlb_n52Adk. As the developer pointed out, these comments are great to read as the project moves forward. The Co-op is excited about improving our ability to be the trusted source for natural foods in Sacramento and appreciates the support of our community. Steven Maviglio 2012-07-05T16:11:27Z