nadygirly

@yetiman123, I too was at the last jump jam. I googled it and found the building submission plans for the land, yes homes are to be built; town homes, condominiums, and apartments for a total of 63 housing units(http://www.sccoplanning.com/Portals/2/County/Planning/env/Aptos_Village_Plan.pdf page 62). Also 75,000 sq ft of commercial space, New Leaf plans on being the main attraction signing on to take the Apple Barn ( http://patch.com/california/capitola/new-leaf-secures-aptos-village-location).

I'm not fully anti-capitalistic, we need big stores at times, but I don't see this little section of Aptos needing a shopping center. Their are vacancies in the center 1 minute away and many vacancies 5 minutes away, plus the mall has way to many vacancies. Here is a story of experience, that backs my theory that kids will be getting into trouble: I worked at walgreens from 04'-09. The first 2 years there was an arcade across he street, in Scotts Valley, this is before the skate park. In early 2006 it closed, the owner didn't want to pay for the high rent. I was an avid arcade go-er at this time in my life, but I was an adult who could drive, so I got my fix by going over the hill. The middle school, was located near both my store and the arcade, prior to the closing of the arcade kids would come buy candy and snacks then go. After the arcade closed, kids would loiter at the store; they would run around the store like hooligans, making a mess and getting into trouble, more so then before. It got to the point the store wouldn't allow brakes or lunches at the school let out time; someone had to be by the door, someone had to hang out in the toy and candy aisle. The kids got so bad we had to ask them to leave their back packs up front and even police the bathroom, ensure only people went in not product, and check to make sure the boys weren't "shitting" on the walls (after they left). After the arcade closed, kids got bored and got into trouble. Communities need things for kids!

My skill may never be that to hit jumps of that size... but still, they brought something to our community here in the 831. The AM line built for the sugar show down, was epic; the jump line at the pump track too was great; and The Spine, the biggest jump I've taken to date. This video showed the emotion behind that. Some people are making Barry Swanson out to be a saint for allowing the track to be there, but lets get some facts strait. He's developing the land for another supper market and homes, New Leaf will be moving in. Just up the road where the Safeway is, is another center, with vacancy's, why? Because Safeway bought the center, and jacked up rent to 1.25-1.5 a sq foot, with plans to expand Safeway, evict others and jack up rent more. 5 minutes away at 41st and Soquel they just built a new center, still with many vacancies, rent is 2-3 a sq foot. Rummer has it, were the jumps "were" rent will be $2-3 a sq foot, this is not inviting for local business to come. The local business just up the road left after Safeway raised the rent. Barry Swanson, like all land developers wants money, copious amounts of money, he doesn't care if the community wants local, he wants money, that means he wants chain business to move in. Here in the 831, we want local. We want local food, we want small business. We are sick of monster sized Safeways, sick of all the chain drug stores, sick of the fast food; we want more places like Bookshop, Horsesnyders, Synergy, Shopper Corner. We as a community need more for the kids, places like this gave kids somewhere to go, to stay out of trouble and drugs; places like this gave parents piece of mind knowing where their children where.