Save the eclectic charm of Capitola Village

Our beautiful seaside escape, Capitola Village, has recently taken on a stark, restrictive and unwelcoming appearance. On June 6, 2017, the City of Capitola started enforcing an old ordinance in which no signs nor merchandise can be displayed anywhere outside of any business in the Capitola Village without a permit.
The City Council voted to enforce this ordinance at a city council meeting held on April 13, 2017. During the meeting, council member, Ed Borttoff, discussed the proposed enforcement with very little mention of merchandise displays and extensive talk of signs and how reasonable and affordable it is to get a permitted sign. The most critical facts regarding this new protocol were left out of the meeting. No one brought up the $3000 application cost for any business requesting a permit to display their merchandise outside. Nor that there is no guarantee the application will even be accepted. There was no discussion at the City Council meeting regarding the negative impact it will have on many businesses in the village, who rely on displaying their merchandise outside to drive sales and make it through the slow seasons.
The new enforcement has left many business owners at a loss. $3000 to request a permit is way beyond the budget of many business owners. However, even for those who can afford the fee, applying for a permit to display merchandise seems futile. A few business owners who went to the city to apply for a permit were discouraged by city employees, who told them it would be a waste of their money because it would not be approved.
Furthermore, at the direction of the Planning Commission and the City Council, a new zoning code has been drafted that removes the permit allowance for outdoor display in the Capitola Village. This means any existing permit for outdoor display will be grandfathered in, but no new applications would be allowed. There is only ONE existing approved permit for outside display in the Capitola Village!
People enjoy seeing paintings outside, dresses fluttering in the wind, and a surfboard outside the surf shop. It creates a fun, safe and lively, quaint, beach town atmosphere. That is Capitola Village. We are not Santana Row or a strip mall, nor do we want to be.
Many locals do their shopping as they pass by, stopping immediately if possible or coming back in a few days, a few weeks, and even months later to purchase the item that caught their attention. With out this merchandise displayed outside, there will be much less visual enticement for locals and visitors to stop and explore Capitola Village. This is a huge blow to local businesses and the city's revenue.

This is not what Capitola Village is supposed to look like! This is not what local merchants want. This is not what local residents want and it is not what visitors want either.

Please sign this petition and let City Council and the Capitola Planning Commission know that we support the local businesses in the Capitola Village. We do not agree with the new dull appearance being enforced by the city. We want to see our village alive again with art, flags, clothing and surfboards proudly displaying the eclectic charm of Capitola Village!
Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.