South of Sunnyside

Being the responsible person I am, I made a quick afternoon trip to the bank to make a payment on my car loan. What I witnessed while waiting in line for the ATM still blows my mind.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I waited for a lady in a motorized wheelchair to clear my path to a space in front of the bank. As I got out of the car, she made her way to the passenger window of another bank customer’s car; the person seated inside responded positively to her solicitation, and the lady turned toward the ATM line as she wished God’s blessings on the the generous stranger.

A bit baffled at her audacity to ask for more, I declined to give to the lady’s cause, as did the person in front of me. She was kind about it, and promptly moved on.

As she approached another customer getting out of a nearby truck, I could feel tension brewing. The response to her solicitation was less than positive, and the bank customer was quite animated in her request that the lady in the wheelchair get away. She responded to a story about a deceased husband with a comment about her own (deceased husband), followed by a solid two minutes of F-bombs. I’m sure there were other words mixed in every so often, but for the most part she just dropped F-bombs.

The lady in the wheelchair dilligently responded with an offer to pray for the customer, and followed her across the parking lot (which did not go over well) telling her about how she needed Jesus.

People amaze me.

I refuse to take a side here—but both of these women were out of line. I probably was, too, for not responding, but I didn’t know what to do. I just stared at the wall in front of me until the lady in the wheelchair moved toward a new target across the parking lot.

Today I received Sunnysider, a newsletter from the Sunnyside Property Owners Association. It’s filled with all sorts of information I don’t care to read–I’m a bit jaded from a past experience with the organization (and we’re intentionally not members)–but one small blurb may explain why a Sunnyside location of Fresh & Easy wasn’t listed in The Business Journal a few weeks back.

In a section titled “What’s Up in Sunnyside?” I find confirmation that the store has plans for the area:

A rezone and plan amendment application has been requested…for sixteen acres of property located on the northeast and southeast corners of South Clovis and East California Avenues…The requested change to mixed-use would be composed of 106 senior apartments, 48,919 square feet of retail space with two drive-thrus, 12.602 square feet of office space, and a 4,875 square foot daycare center. The anchor tenant would be Fresh and Easy.

And then I learn why those plans have not come to fruition:

SPOA and neighbors have expressed concerns regarding the additional traffic and noise that would be generated from the change to office / commercial uses and higher density apartments. The application has been put on hold.

I’m not excited about the prospect of two more drive-thrus, as that’s all that the area has now, but higher density housing mixed in with light commercial properties just off of a major thoroughfare seems pretty reasonable. Any development will create additional traffic, but the area can handle it.

Argh. More NIMBYism from the SPOA…

When a patrol car from the Fresno Police Department sits at the end of a street with no lights on, and then slowly starts to drive towards you (still with no lights on) as you walk towards the mailbox.

Have you seen it?