Beware of Deceptive Petitions – Know the Facts. Neiman Marcus is Good for Walnut Creek!

After numerous public hearings, dozens of community meetings, and nearly a year of analysis and adjustments, our elected City Council has unanimously approved the much-improved plans for Neiman Marcus at Broadway Plaza. We appreciate the efforts of the City Council to resolve the building size and parking issues. The building is the right height (2 stories rather than 3) and smaller (half the size of Nordstrom) AND Broadway Plaza will create the required new parking (175 new free spaces).

You may never shop at Neiman Marcus, BUT a healthy, stable downtown means a stable source of revenues for city services. The new Neiman Marcus will create jobs, strengthen the health of our downtown and the viability of our small locally owned merchants, and generate new tax revenues that will help pay for police, pay our roads, and support other vital city services like our parks and open spaces, the arts, recreation programs, and senior services.

The Michigan-based owner of Sunvalley Mall has said that they will again try to place a referendum on the ballot to stop the project. This big-money interest is likely to do just what they did last fall – distribute deceptive literature and conduct ruthless signature gathering in front of stores and door-to-door in our neighborhoods. These outsiders have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to damage our community – and they will spend more. Why? As one person said at the City Council meeting, “Walnut Creek’s loss will be their gain.”

Keep in mind, if the opposition gets enough signatures, it will cost our city $250,000 or more just for the ballot process -- money we cannot afford to waste.

In response to the threat, a group of 30 concerned residents who are civic, business and non-profit leaders has formed Yes for Walnut Creek to defend the community against these out-of-state interests.

Now is the time to take action and stand up against out-of-state money that is trying to control what we do in Walnut Creek. Visit http://www.yesforwalnutcreek.org/ to:

· Get the facts.
· Endorse the effort.
· Volunteer.
· Donate.

Fighting big, out-of-state money takes people and money. If you can make a contribution, please send a check, payable to Yes for Walnut Creek, to 1630 N. Main St. Box 157, Walnut Creek 94596.