The San Rafael City Council will meet December 20th to consider the construction of a 137,000 square foot Target Store adjacent to Home Depot and Shoreline Parkway wetlands. If approved, this massive Big Box store will have SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE impact on our neighborhood, surrounding enviornment and hundreds of local San Rafael small businesses.

We have 2 WEEKS to rally our community and voice our opposition to this project and YOUR HELP IS NEEDED to encourage City Council to examine the facts associated with this proposal.

SIGN THIS PETITION NOW and an email will be sent to all five City Council Members. Your voice WILL make a difference!

 

The driving considerations for the City are:
1. Sales tax, purported to be $675,000 annually
2. Jobs

HERE ARE THE FACTS:

Traffic: The final Environmental Impact Report explicitly states that the traffic levels in the Bellam/Kerner intersection would result in “Significant and unavoidable impact with NO mitigation” reducing the condition to unacceptable levels. This issue alone is a SERIOUS PUBLIC SAFETY concern for people living and working in the area but not fully addressed in the report.

Local businesses: Studies reveal that Big Box retailers disrupt local economies, forcing competitive small business to shut down. One national study concludes it could take up to 14 years to refill the resulting vacant retail space caused by these closures. Why risk negatively impacting our vibrant small business community, causing lost jobs in an already challenging recession?

Enhanced Revenue: When asked to verify the $675,000 promised for the San Rafael store, Target representatives have repeatedly declined to provide any support citing confidentiality. Even if taken at face value, if established small businesses shut down and jobs are lost, the existing business tax base will diminish significantly.  At best this would be a zero sum result.

Problematic Environmental Impact Report: The Environmental Impact Report for the proposed Target store concluded with a list of important issues that will result in ‘significant and unavoidable impact” on the environment and traffic.  This report was initiated over two years ago and has not been updated to include the fact that the proposed Target store will now include groceries.  Studies show that big box retail stores with groceries increase weekly traffic volumes exponentially.

Questionable Corporate Citizen: Target is presently being prosecuted by 20 California District Attorneys for dumping hazardous waste in landfills, and preliminary injunction has been issued in Alameda District Court.  The proposed site for this Target store is landfill adjacent to vulnerable wetlands.

No Community Impact Report: This essential report is a vehicle through which the City could perform the kind of comprehensive study that a project of this magnitude demands.  At minimum, our City Council should require a comprehensive Community Impact Report before proceeding with the project.

Jobs: Target purports that it will create over 200 new jobs and intends to “recruit 85% of these employees locally". Again, they refuse to provide details citing the propriety nature of their information, but it is well known that starting wages hover at minimum wage and that the majority of their workers are part-time. Are these the type of jobs that enable people to live and work in San Rafael?

 

HOW YOU CAN HELP:

1. Sign this petition now.

2. Show up at the City Council meeting on December 20th, at City Council Chambers at 1400 Fifth Avenue.   This is Democracy in action, and your voice WILL make a difference. 

3. Get involved. For more information, click here