Written by Robert Day
Los Alamos
I highly appreciated Allen Saenz’s op-ed published September 24th in the Los Alamos Reporter. Page (https://losalamosreporter.com/2024/09/24/a-call-for-change-in-los-alamos-county-leadership/). This confirms many of the concerns I have regarding Los Alamos County’s lack of support for our business community. I have been based in Los Alamos for over 70 years and have watched our town evolve from a thriving business community with a variety of stores to a small number of stores with very limited merchandise. I did. This erosion appears to have started in the 1980s and has been on a downhill path ever since. The plan appears to be driven by Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) being able to rent space at very high rates, causing rents to skyrocket for small businesses and the county putting obstacles in place for business expansion. .
Mr. Saenz listed many of the recent obstacles, but I have been hearing about others for years. For example, what appeared to be arbitrary signage restrictions forced some stores to close for months, costing owners thousands of dollars in rent while they were unable to do so. In other words, the store had to remain closed because the county would not approve the storefront sign.
Years ago, a small business owner told me this story. The county asked him what would be the worst time of year for the county to perform major road maintenance on Central Avenue. He said the July-August period would be particularly bad. As a result, the county conducted maintenance throughout July and August. This may be unavoidable due to scheduling, but it ignores the business of this town.
Another case is that of the Unquarked/Sirphey restaurant. Unquarked was a very popular restaurant that wanted to move from its Central Park Square location to the old location of Blue Window Bistro. The county appears to have imposed arbitrary restrictions on the business, preventing it from operating. It gave the impression that this local business was being unfairly targeted. Councilman Delcax voted to uphold the county Board of Appeals’ cease-and-desist order. Our council’s actions have resulted in numerous court hearings and legal costs. On October 24, 2023, a district court judge ruled that the county violated the business owner’s due process rights at every stage of the appeal of the stop work order.
On September 12, 2024, the Council voted to modify Trinity Drive in a manner that limits motor vehicle traffic and facilitates bicycle traffic. Restricted flow on Trinity Drive will make it difficult to get to downtown restaurants and stores during lunchtime. This has a negative impact on the viability of these businesses. The proposal was submitted to the Transportation Committee but was not allowed formal consideration or a formal vote by the committee. Only proposals developed by the county were allowed to be submitted to the county council. Our council approved the changes to Trinity Drive, but councilors Reagor and Ryti opposed it.
For an issue that affects the entire town and all commuters who drive through Trinity, there should have been several public notices for at least two Town Hall meetings leading up to the next City Council vote. The process appeared to have been rushed and clandestine.
I regularly mountain bike the Los Alamos trails. I don’t ride much because I think riding a bike on the road is more dangerous than riding on a trail. However, if I have to bike from the downtown area to the Kemazon Trail, I would not take Trinity Drive due to the dangers of vehicular traffic. I take Canyon Road because it has bike lanes, low vehicle traffic, and is set up to create a good mix of car and bike traffic. So making Trinity Drive safer for motorized traffic (as good traffic flow is needed to accommodate the commuters who commute here) and Canyon Road safer for a combination of motorized and bicycle traffic. It seems better to focus on what you want to do.
My conclusion with all of this is that Los Alamos needs a county government with a “can do” philosophy to help small businesses thrive. Our county has one of the highest per capita incomes in the nation, and our somewhat remote location should provide a vibrant business environment. We need to change the way Los Alamos County does business.
Something like this:
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