President's Message

The Playing Field Needs a Fix
There is no question; the Colorado Boulevard Specific Plan has made invaluable contributions to the character and quality of Colorado Boulevard as it has grown and emerged as one of the premier commercial corridors in the Northeast.  Not only are new businesses opening almost every month, but the businesses that choose to locate here, for the most part, meet the goals of the Specific Plan which is to encourage locally owned businesses fitting a small town quality. 

However, there is an aspect of the Specific Plan that creates a strong distinction and a biased playing field between businesses in existence prior to the adoption of the plan (August, 1992) and the many businesses that have opened since then.  Included in the Specific Plan is the limitation that businesses opened after August, 1992 will not operate between the hours of 9PM and 7AM.  For reasons not clear to me, businesses located in Sub Area I (the area primarily located between Eagle Rock Boulevard and the western border of Eagle Rock) may request that the Area Planning Commission grant them the right to stay open beyond 9PM.  Any business in existence prior to the adoption of the Specific Plan (August, 1992) is "grandfathered" and is not limited to the restrictive business hours. 

With the understanding that the only way to amend the Specific Plan was to open the entire Plan for review and possible revisions, and that this would ultimately be done "sometime in the future," the lack of enforcement of this aspect of the Specific Plan had been widely accepted as an interim solution to the overly-restrictive business hours limitations.  TERA has also hoped that a broad review of the Plan would also provide an opportunity to introduce protective language regarding billboards, a major deficiency of the existing Plan.  

The interim solution of non-enforcement became null and void when City Inspectors made a recent visit to a new Bar / Restaurant (5 Line - next to Big Mama's & Papa's Pizza), and cited the 5 Line for being open after 9PM.  What motivated City inspectors to selectively enforce this requirement at 5 Line is an open question.  What is not an open question is that the owners of 5 Line and Big Mama's & Papa's have brought two desirable businesses to our community.  They have spent great effort to incorporate into the branding, theme and architecture, characteristics that speak to the history of Eagle Rock.  Finally, they have spent a fortune on rehabilitating the building that now looks better than it has for decades.  The 5 Line and many many other food / beverage businesses on Colorado, which opened after August 1992, would be severely economically impacted if they were all forced to close their doors at 9PM.  There is a real danger that the tremendous commercial resurgence that we have seen on the Boulevard could come to a halt. 

In the spirit of full disclosure, the Specific Plan does include a process for waivers or exceptions from many aspects of the Plan.  However, in addition to the significant time that is required to file a request for an exception or waiver, the merchant will pay approximately $17,000 in basic fees.  There are also potential additional fees for an environmental review as well as a fee to expedite the process.  Finally, the merchant is not guaranteed that they will be granted the waiver.  $17,000 - $20,000 is a significant expense for a new business, especially the types of locally owned businesses that we value.  To make matters worse, if the waiver is not granted the applicant loses the money they have spent on the fees.  Clearly, the Exception Process does not provide a satisfactory solution.  

At TERA's last board meeting the board overwhelmingly voted that one of our goals should be to work with the Council Office and other community leadership to identify the most expeditious way to modify the business hour aspect of the Specific Plan before whoever or whatever caused Inspectors to visit 5 Line encourages visits and citations to other merchants who are making such great contributions to the vibrancy of our prime commercial corridor and the overall quality of life in Eagle Rock. 

A New Time and a New Place
Over the years many Farmer's Markets have come and gone in Eagle Rock.  There have been many pretenders but only one Farmer's Market has lasted for over sixteen years.  Every Friday afternoon, at the intersection of Casper and Merton Avenues and the adjacent municipal parking lot, vendors setup their tents, tables and wares.  Grills are warmed up, occasionally music comes from someone or somewhere and suddenly the long-standing Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce Farmer's Market appears.  The market has a uniquely funky Eagle Rock tone; buy broccoli, a bracelet, caramel corn, incense, or sit down for a freshly grilled dinner - it's all there.  Michael Nogueira, President of the Chamber, the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council, and leader of the Farmer's Market recently reflected that years ago when the market started, this was kind of a sleepy area, even on Colorado Boulevard.  Few businesses were open beyond 5:30 and the municipal parking lot was marginally used in the evening.  The Farmer's Market was about the only thing happening after 6PM. 

In January of 2001, long before Walgreens and Starbucks, Tricia Neal courageously opened Swork's Coffee Shop in a storefront that had once been a community owned pharmacy (long gone) and had been vacant for years.  Swork's, which significantly pre-dated Starbucks-Eagle Rock, was the first indication of the possible commercial renaissance of Colorado Boulevard.  Camillo's relocation from York Avenue to the corner of Caspar and Colorado was the next indication that something good was going on.  The streets no longer "rolled up" at 6PM.  A vibrant and unique collection of shops, restaurants, gyms, children services and many other alternatives took up residence over the years.  Now a pedestrian / customer presence is found well into the evening.  The municipal lot, which was marginally used in the evening years ago, now has a role to play in the success of the many adjacent merchants. 

Recognizing the changes over the last 16 years, and the importance of the municipal parking lot to adjacent merchants, Michael Nogueira has indicated that "It's time to give the parking lot on Fridays, back to the merchants who now need all possible parking for customers.  On May 2nd the Eagle Rock Chamber of Commerce Farmer's Market will be relocated to Eagle Rock City Hall.  The market will be located primarily on City Hall's parking lot and on a small section of Maywood Avenue.  The new location will provide more visibility to the Market, which will include new vendors.  Many thanks to the Council Office for helping with this transition of the Market to a new location that I am confident will bring many benefits to the Market."

Freeing up these parking spaces will make it even easier to take advantages of the many great merchants who have invested in our community.  All Eagle Rockers are encouraged to spend your next Friday night in downtown Eagle Rock.  Parking will be easy and the "menu" of merchants is amazing.  A special thanks to Tricia Neal, whom can be thanked for opening the door for others to see the commercial potential of Colorado Boulevard. 

Woof
The TERA Board recently voted to act as the fiscal agent for the Dogs of the Rock initiative.  Many thanks to our Treasurer, Joan MacNeil, for agreeing to take on the extra work that will come with this service to the community.  Prior to the vote I asked Joan if she was willing to take this on.  Her response was "I am the Treasurer and it's my job to support whatever the Board decides."  I greatly appreciate Joan's constant help in so many ways, beyond her role as Treasurer, in supporting all that TERA does.  As an aside, Joan, a passionate dog lover, is fortunate enough to live in a home that her two dogs share with her. 

A New Neighborhood Council Coming to Town
As is the case every two years, Eagle Rockers have the opportunity to choose who will represent our community as members of the Eagle Rock Neighborhood Council on April 26.  Although Council Members can serve up to six years, many choose to serve only one term.  Several current members of the Council have agreed to be considered by voters for a second term.  However, we can still expect to see new faces.  At times in the distant past I have seen ERNC moments that could only be described as "looney toons."  Fortunately, for the more recent past, Eagle Rock has been well served by a dedicated group of individuals who either brought common sense and practical experience to the table or came up to speed very quickly. 

It is now incumbent on us to take the time to get to know the candidates who aspire to be part of the Council for the next two years.  I hope you took the opportunity to become more informed by attending the Candidate Forum on Tuesday, April 22 at Eagle Rock City Hall.  Any questions regarding the next election should be emailed to info@eaglerockcouncil.org.

Yum
Last weekend our goal was to try new eating places in the community.  Max City BBQ was our choice for dinner Saturday night.  Long before they opened, my taste-buds were ready to try their pulled pork.  Combining pulled pork with mac n cheese and a cucumber salad just like my mother made was dinner, and it was delicious.  Of course the pork was the star on the plate.  I especially like that it included some bits of pork with the charred quality that only comes from a real grill.  Their menu looked especially perfect to me for a night when you want to eat home but don't want to cook.  The offerings are perfect for a take-home meal, and we noted many customers who had discovered that when we were there. 

Continuing our dining quest, we had leftovers for lunch Sunday at Milkfarm LA and they were yummy.  The baguette sandwiches we had intended to order were long gone when we arrived mid-afternoon.  Milkfarm LA had only been open a few days and the baguettes sold out every day, even though the proprietor, Leah Park Fierro, prepared a larger and larger number each day.  With the baguettes out of the picture Leah suggested these odd shaped sandwiches described as "chorizo soria, herbed ricotta, and lemon radish on ficelle" as an alternative and they were yummy.  The ricotta cheese is made locally and the bread (ficelle) is baked fresh daily.  Even though it violated every principal of a balanced and healthy diet, we added to our lunch an incredible pretzel.  Not only is the food great at Milkfarm LA, but it is a unique shop, not like any other vendor on the Boulevard.  Welcome Milkfarm LA. 

Both Milkfarm LA and Max City BBQ are part of the TERA's member benefit program.  Show you membership card and reap the rewards. 

Who is Paying for Your Copy?
If you are getting this newsletter, and you are not a TERA member, then you should thank someone who is a member for their financial support.  Although digitally publishing a newsletter is far less expensive than the paper versions we used to publish, it still involves unavoidable expenses.  Likewise, TERA's recent decision to act as fiscal agent for Dogs of the Rock will involve some modest amount of expense.  At the State of the Town meeting, attended by approximately 75 people, less than $20 was contributed to defray the costs of that meeting.  Over and again, we rely on the generosity and support of our members to do what we do.  Thanks to all the TERA members who make TERA's efforts possible.  If you are not a member, please take action now!  Email me at president@tera90041.org and I will send you a membership packet.  Otherwise, please go to http://www.tera90041.org and join using PayPal.  Become a member now!