Letter to the Editor
JUNTOS
Faced with a new challenge, Barrio La Victoria is fighting to protect and preserve our single-family residential neighborhood. The Cotton Gin is a historically significant building zoned as High Industrial that backs up against many residential homes in this neighborhood. The developer of this building is in the process of appealing the decision of the Planning and Zoning Commission on March 8, 2022 to deny a request for Alternative Compliance (AC-22-01) to the protective yard installation requirements for a proposed development located at 312 Camacho Street.
Barrio La Victoria is working to protect the rights of our residents and the health and safety of our community. Our residents do not want a business that includes hazardous chemicals or brings in heavy trucks and increased traffic on our brand-new streets. The entry way to this building is in-between two residential homes and fronts our neighborhood park. I ask you this, would you feel safe having your children play outdoors in these conditions? Is High Industrial zoning appropriate use for a building so close to single family homes? Are you okay with the possibility of erasing yet another historical treasured building within our community?
Business visioners, we understand development and change is inevitable within our town. There is a way to build a mutually beneficial partnership with residents within the community you are building in. Shift your tactic and work JUNTOS to move forward on a project by developing common ground and meeting each other in the middle. Developers set yourself apart by coming together with the communities you want to see your business vision grow in. Be a partner who listens to your neighbors, empathizes with the concerns of safety for families, housing affordability, displacement and history of neighborhood traumas. Our neighborhood has historic merit for San Marcos and many of families living in Barrio La Victoria are second and third (or more) generations. Working together with the community residents lays the foundation for mutual respect and success.
Christina Casas-Moreno San Marcos
