To the Editor:
Recently, I submitted a letter hoping to spark new interest for the Developer, specifically the Morse family, in the future of Spanish Springs Town Center. Now I’ll toss out some thoughts for the residents who hope to “save Spanish Springs.”
Saving Spanish Springs means more than ongoing success for businesses and continuing events and entertainment. For the Developer to partner in this effort, it must first prove a profitable business venture. And there is simply too much vacant real estate on the second floors for that to happen. The Developer’s plan to build out apartments would likely save, rather than destroy, Spanish Springs by bringing new patrons to the square and its businesses.
However, the drawings recently proposed to Lady Lake for apartments at Van Patten House reveal a concerning precedent of usurping public, street level parking for private use. This part of the developer’s plan would create a significant impediment to businesses, entertainment, and events in Spanish Springs. Businesses without available parking won’t succeed. Entertainment and special events will suffer with restrictions on those spaces and the adjacent streets. All these are impacted because residents must be afforded right of way access to their private parking spaces.
Those of us who aspire to save Spanish Springs must understand that apartments would be a boon for the square, and support the Developer’s initiative to profit from the property they own. Rather than risk losing street parking that will be bundled with apartments in a lawsuit, we should concede the apartments as long as we could negotiate with the Developer to move parking and tenant access to the rear of the building. We must focus on a workable solution for apartments in Spanish Springs that does not negatively impact our businesses, entertainment, and special events. I hope we can collaborate with the Developer to achieve that.
Don Cannatti
Village of Del Mar
