Have received a haircut from Andreas at the Ranch? Have you looked for a new home at Coldwell Banker realtors? Love the selection of glasses at San Anselmo Optometry? Je Suis Building Bridge 2
On January 24, the San Anselmo Town Council voted to move forward with a CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) Study on a proposed flood mitigation plan put forward from the County of Marin Flood Zone
9 staff. This is a big step in moving forward with a proposed plan for flood mitigation using Federal Grant and local tax dollars in San Anselmo and our neighboring communities. This plan includes various facets of flood prevention/mitigation including introducing new run off basins in various locations, etc. However, there is also a step in this plan that includes “building modifications” on “Building Bridge 2” – this is what we want to inform our customers, fellow San Anselmo residents/home owners and fellow merchants about.
“Building Bridge 2” is not just some obscure or empty structure in town- it is the building on San Anselmo Ave that houses L’Appart Resto, Coldwell Banker, San Anselmo Optometry and The Ranch hair salon. When the plan refers to “structural modifications” the “modification” at the top of this list is removal of the entire building and relocation of the current businesses. Relocation may be a reasonable solution for some businesses but harder for others, especially a restaurant that currently has a large sunny patio as one of its biggest assets. We want to urge our fellow residents, home owners and merchants in San Anselmo to join us in influencing the town council and flood committee to continue to look at alternatives to removal of this building while still working for the collective safety of the community. There are other options available and we urge the town to think creatively for solutions that don’t remove beloved local businesses from the downtown landscape and take away from the character of our town. At the same meeting on January 24, the San Anselmo economic development committee presented the results of their 2016 consumer survey which concluded that what local residents want in their downtown community is more restaurants/bars, patio/outdoor dining and family and pet friendly options. L’Appart Resto is one of the few already existing options providing all of those things to the community for over 6 ½ years in a location that had previously struggled. The restaurant is locally owned and owner operated and is very involved in the local community bringing not only great food, wine and a lively atmosphere to town, but consumers from surrounding areas as far as SF, local jobs and tax dollars. We want safety for our community, fellow merchants and ourselves, but know it can be achieved in a way that does not put our livelihood and that of our neighboring business owners at risk or negatively impact the atmosphere of our beloved downtown. In a town that already struggles to keep occupancy rates high in our downtown corridor, it would hurt the entire town economically and socially to be displacing existing businesses - merchants depend on other successful merchants – consumers want to shop and eat in places where there are many options, a variety to choose from and a lively buzz from foot traffic – home owners want to own in a thriving community where property values will appreciate. We urge our customers and fellow residents and merchants to become informed on these plans, attend town council meetings and read the published reports, and join us in asking our town leaders to do the right thing collectively for the town of San Anselmo and its loyal community. To show how much you love our restaurant, please share your experience on the social media using
if you have any questions, feel free to email [email protected]
