More and more, “green” and “sustainable” are merely marketing buzzwords.
Recently I have learned a new term--- “gling” ('green' + 'bling'.) All over the state developers are adding “gling” to projects like shopping malls to make them seem more palatable to the public.

     The Northeast Plan has been “gling”-clad in this manner but if you look beneath this shell this is really a faux-green plan that will cause people to drive more and over- consume cheap retail products. The fantasy is that you locate a lot of housing over a shopping mall and people will be so happy with their solar power, recycled water systems, and roof gardens that all they will want to do is go downstairs and shop all of the time. How likely is it that everybody will be able to work where they live as claimed?

     Mark Sell wrote an excellent analysis of the realities of this plan that apparently a lot of people missed this summer.

     In addition to being co-owner of Sebastopol Hardware, Mr. Sell is a retired bank manager. He points out that retail workers who are paid about $13.00 an hour would not be able to afford the $500,000 to $600,000 per unit price tag of the new units. They will need to drive in from elsewhere while most of the people who can afford these units will need to drive out to their higher paying jobs elsewhere. Mr. Sell estimates that there would be at least 300 to 400 resident cars, 300 to 600 employee cars, and 300 to 600 customer cars. Idling cars in traffic jams create far more emissions than moving cars. Higher density will not make good public transport magically show up.

Damaging Effects of Outlet Mall

     In January, I asked city manager Dave Brennen if there was any way to keep out the possible outlet mall suggested for the Northeast Area by the Market Study the city commissioned in 2006. He said there was no way to keep out such businesses because they are under the size limit stipulated in the Plan. Like big-box stores, these baby-box stores rely heavily on cheap goods from China. They can undercut local independent businesses by the strength of their buying power. Green-minded people should consider the impact that manufacturing all of these goods in a country which mainly uses the dirtiest energy---coal fired plants--- has on global warming. Please also consider the energy required to ship these goods from so far away and all of the emissions from the idling trucks backed up at the ports, waiting to transport them to their destination. Clearly, the greener option is to manufacture more of what we use closer to home where we have cleaner, more efficient energy options in addition to worker and product safety regulations. Remember, it is called “global warming” not ” Sebastopol warming.”

     Most of the Northeast area has been light industrial for quite some time. There are more compatible light industrial businesses that could relocate to this area if the city would stop denying them permits.

     Our town is dependent on retail sales tax for revenue but this plan will cost more than it brings in. We all need to support our locally owned businesses. One of the many benefits of shopping locally is that you can talk directly to the owners about your concerns, such as carrying more domestically produced goods. When we shop locally more of our money stays in our community instead of going to shareholders of chain stores elsewhere.

     I urge everyone to vote for Guy Wilson for city council. We need someone on the city council that won’t be dazzled by the “gling” of this “feel green” Plan and confront the realities of adding so much excess retail and housing to our existing businesses and residents. Over the years, I have gotten to know Guy Wilson through his columns in the Sonoma West Times. Guy will listen and consider everyone’s point of view instead of imposing a narrow ideology on everyone else. He will ask the difficult questions instead of just going along with the herd. He is highly intelligent, community minded, and refreshingly modest about his considerable talents.