Letter: Downtown colors bother one reader
Perhaps there is a lapse of memory, but I seem to remember that our city fathers talked of doing downtown Madera in a Western theme and painting the buildings in two shades of beige. McMahns did their part in remodeling. It seems to me that outsiders with their colors are being catered to and be damned with what the citizens want.
I understand the buildings are all in need of repairs, and rent is cheap. Real estate people have to follow codes, laws and can’t close escrow until those strict codes and laws have been met. It works the same for Section 8 rental owners.
I’m told that the garish colors have helped to increase their businesses. It doesn’t matter what colors other nationalities are used to and like in their country. Don’t turn Madera into the country they choose to leave for a better life.
We have lived here most or all of our lives and want to be proud of how Madera looks. Visitors, buyers and people driving through town get a real wakeup. Why would others want to open a business downtown?
All the money that has been spent to beautify the streets and such, and then one drives downtown and gets a very different picture of Madera. I would like the Tribune to tell us who is the city color approval committee. The outlandish color on the buildings on East Yosemite is a shocker. You’re going against what the citizens of Madera want, and that isn’t right. They should not be changing Madera into what they chose to leave.
Madge Openshaw,
Madera
You have made several fine points, in your letter.
“Perhaps there is a lapse of memory, but I seem to remember that our city fathers talked of doing downtown Madera in a Western theme and painting the buildings in two shades of beige. McMahns did their part in remodeling. ”
I remember something along those lines too.
However, the real issue is the buildings there.
Sure the city likes to collect their taxes from them.
But, are they up to code?
Why have landlords let them get so run down?
Even Stockton and Clovis have codes for their older sections. Do we have any? Why are ours not enforced?
There are a lot of positive things that can be done with downtown.
Read more of this in the redline:
It really isn’t the issue on Letter: How about being Americans first?
Hmm…so the tenants who pay rent in their buildings, and went through the process to run their business the way they like should not be allowed to do so because it may (or may not) be similar to the country they left?
I guess Chinese restaurants shouldn’t be themed like a Chinese storefront, nor should the owners be allowed to have signs in Chinese. All of the Italian restaurants should be prominently displaying signs in English (including menu items approximated to their English equivalent) and their lighting should not be dimmed to preserve intimacy for the meal, but turned up to the garish hue of a doctor’s office…the differences between cultures when they come here is the beauty of American ideals at work.
If the people are not free to run their business the way they choose, and not free to make their storefronts look the way they like, and do their own interior design…then why even come here? Why use their time and money and effort? Because the opportunity is worth more than people complaining.
I agree with the above comment as well, there are way way too many buildings there that are not up to code. It has nothing to do with the tenants, however, and everything to do with the owners. Come down on the owners and things will pick up. In the meantime, leave the tenants (and their choices) alone.
Does that mean if I was a tenant in a building downtown I could paint it in polka dots and plaid stripes with a flourescent orange door and purple windows?
(I do not and will not take a stance on downtown Madera or anything related to it but just thought I’d play the “devil’s advocate” and make you think for a second.)
Yes. If your landlord (the owner of the building, after all) approved it, then it’s your choice. There’s absolutely no need to regulate that type of thing, barring a serious offense like spraypainting a nude mural or curse words as your paintjob, but even then, it would be up to the community to speak with their patronage and not the government to speak with regulation.