The company that owns the Skillman Live Oak Shopping Center wants to close a one-block section of La Vista to create outdoor spaces for its new tenants, Matt’s Rancho Martinez and the Mecca restaurant.
Property owner Stonelake Capital Partners has proposed closing La Vista from Live Oak to Skillman, according to a letter neighbors received from the city’s Department of Sustainable Development and Construction.
Some neighbors are opposed to the proposal, which apparently wouldn’t require vetting from the City Plan Commission.
Karyl Leonard of the Consignment Solution told City Councilwoman Angela Hunt in a letter that the change could divert traffic away from her business. Closing the block also would eliminate about 30 parking spaces, and neighbors worry that the restaurants will cause parking woes on their streets.
Matt’s is expected to open soon at La Vista and Skillman, and Mecca is expected to open in mid-August in the old Tipperary Inn space.
Update: Santos Martinez of Masterplan Associates, which is representing Stonelake, says the plan calls for a promenade on La Vista. It would be closed to traffic by removable bollards, so the street could be closed for special events but open to traffic and parking sometimes.
Stonelake’s proposal must be reviewed by city departments and then appraised. Once its value is determined, Stonelake can cut a check to the city and then City Council will vote on whether to sell the street to the company.
