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East Palo Alto Teens Ask Developer to Build More than Just Structures

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. (KCBS) -- More than 900 people have signed a petition urging the city council to require a developer interested in building a supermarket in East Palo Alto to provide community benefits in order to build.

Members of Youth United for Community Action, the group sponsoring the petition, rallied on the steps of city hall yesterday before presenting the signatures to law makers.

They are calling for Barry Swenson Builder to provide jobs, affordable housing, and money to fund youth programs.

The city council is set to discuss the supermarket deal at its April 3 meeting.

City Manager Alvin James questioned whether the city had the leverage to put any of those conditions onto the company. He said that unlike certain environmental issues, the legal framework doesn’t exist to require companies to provide the kind of economic assistance the teenagers were championing.
Interesting... I like what YUCA does... However, we have to walk a fine line here. If too many requirements are put on the developer they may walk away. If we let development happen unchecked then we sell out the community.
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  1. RMaxT7:20 AM

    How true John. It's a sad testimony to how fine we have drawn the "Profit Margin" line. When looking at the bottom line, we don't always look all the way down to the "Bottom Line."
    It is said that you will pay now, or pay later... but you will pay! Without benefits or opportunities for the emerging leaders in our communities, we may be dooming ourself to a self-fulfilling 'negative' prophecy.
    "Dear God... move in the hearts of our communities to save the lives of children. Amen"

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