Media Statement from PHAN

Pleasant Hill Alliance of Neighborhoods

Press Release

Pleasant Hill Citizens Launch Voter Petition 
to Challenge CarMax Project Approval
 Neighbors Call for Housing at DVC Plaza

Contact: Cathy Teegardin: pleasanthillneighborhoods@gmail.com

August 23, 2017: Concerned Pleasant Hill residents have launched a petition to challenge the City’s ordinance approving the controversial CarMax project at DVC Plaza. They also want the City to know that the community supports new housing and neighborhood retail at the former Kmart site.

“We call on the City and the property owner to work with us to develop housing and neighborhood retail at DVC Plaza. Because that site is surrounded by residential neighborhoods, schools, and a creek, we believe it is not appropriate for a wholesale used car auction operation like CarMax,” said Cathy Teegardin, a Pleasant Hill resident and President of Pleasant Hill Alliance of Neighborhoods (PHAN).

“We are not NIMBYs. We are YIMBYs. We want housing at DVC Plaza. ” Teegardin said.

Dorothy Englund, another Pleasant Hill resident, agrees: “The CarMax project is not aligned with the community’s vision for DVC Plaza or the City’s General Plan. We want to work with the City, developers, and community stakeholders to develop better options for the property, with a priority on housing,” Englund said.

DVC Plaza is a Priority Development Area for meeting regional housing needs, but the City’s approval of the CarMax project eliminates the opportunity to build hundreds of new housing units on the 9+ acre site.

Ignoring widespread opposition from the community, the City Council on August 7, 2017, approved the ordinance allowing the CarMax project to move forward. The City’s action also sparked a grassroots movement to put the ordinance on the ballot.

“An overwhelming majority of people who attended the City hearings or submitted public comments opposed the CarMax project at this site, but the City approved it unanimously—that’s not right,” said Teegardin. “If the City Council is confident that the CarMax project is the best option for the community, then they should put it to a vote of the citizens,” Teegardin said.

Specific concerns expressed by neighbors included: increased traffic and safety issues with multiple auto-haulers daily; increased noise pollution starting at 7:30 am 7 days a week; degradation of neighborhood quality and infrastructure; impacts on the adjacent creek; inconsistency with General Plan; and failure to address the City’s or the region’s housing needs.

Pleasant Hill Alliance of Neighborhoods, Inc., is an all volunteer nonprofit public benefit corporation that supports community initiatives in Pleasant Hill.

Photos available on request.

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