Mt. Shasta Tomorrow - PREVIOUS ISSUES - April, 1999 There are issues facing our community that relate to the future appearance of Mt. Shasta's downtown. The City's Planning Commission has recently approved two buildings that some would have a hard time finding consistent with our Architectural Design Guidelines. Accordingly, we have appealled these two project approvals to the City Council for a public hearing and to have them be improved. See for yourself if you believe these two prominent, downtown commercial structures will benefit the community as well as acceptably fit into Mt. Shasta's "Mountain Village Theme." We'll also show you more information about these issues on subsequent pages of this web site. (Update, June 1999: the City upheld MST's appeals and required some changes of both of these projects)
ACE HARDWARE STORE EXPANSION Ace Hardware is proposing substantially expanding its rear building on Chestnut Street for use instead as its main store with its main access on Castle Street. As a result, Ace is asking the City to allow it to build this very stark looking building expansion on land currently used for parking without providing any new parking onsite. Moreover, Ace got the Planning Commission's approval to build the new walls with exposed concrete blocks, no windows and with no landscaping on the property. This Chestnut Street view shows what you might expect if more attractive improvements aren't made. FOR MORE DETAILS, CLICK HERE
CITY STAFF HIDES BEHIND UNLAWFUL $250 APPEAL FEE TO BLOCK PUBLIC RIGHTS The City Staff refused to allow anyone to challenge their errors or the Planning Commission's approval of these two projects unless they first paid $250.00 each ($500.00 for both) for that "privilege" of being heard by the City Council. This outrageous violation of constitutional free speech rights by City Staff without even any valid local laws to rely upon shows to what extent they will go to in extending preferencial treatment to these applicants as well as attempting to hide their own culpability in the City's errors. Mt. Shasta Tomorrow protests these inappropriately applied fees to end such governmental abuses in its appeal to the City Council.
