All,

I wanted to let you know that this development proposal is currently on the agenda for the City Council meeting on August 17. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the City Center. If that changes, I will update this group as soon as I hear.

As of today, the city has already sent official notification letters to everyone within 500 feet that this proposal is on the agenda. While it was unanimously rejected with an 8-0 vote by the council-appointed commissioners, due process allows them to bring the proposal (with minor modifications) to the council for review/vote. 

In the meantime, I've been notified by several neighbors about the  criminal backgrounds of the two primary partners. You can find more information by Google searching their full names and "federal indictment."  

I decided not to include the documents/links provided to me by other neighbors over the past few weeks. You can find all of this information online. In fact, I thought long and hard about publishing this update, however, I feel an obligation to share information that's been provided to me that will directly impact you. That's especially true given the lack of transparency in the overall process to date and open contempt these individuals and their developers have shown our community to date. 

I do not enjoy sharing these details -- I've heard many rumors since the start of this process and decided not to share until now. But after reading the federal government indictments, I'd feel remiss in not doing so. While I absolutely believe everyone deserves a second chance, their past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior as it relates to running this commercial business - especially given the many issues with the size, intensity and overall impact of this type of operation.

One thing that I do want to underscore is that criminal history/background is completely irrelevant to the city's development approval process. Regardless of past history, every applicant is treated equally based on criteria related to the development proposal and in full adherence to local/state/federal laws. The city does not conduct any background checks for commercial applications of this nature, nor does it consider this information in making decisions at any level in the process. 

Please plan to attend the August 17 meeting in person -- I know many people have vacations and other commitments. But even with the 8-0 vote to defeat by the commission, we need to make sure our elected city officials see and hear our opposition to this proposal. 

Jay