First of all, I find the constant references to blight amusing. Some people have never seen true blight! (Graffiti, trash strewn everywhere, non-operating vehicles on the property, etc). The Stanford properties have been hideous as long as I remember, but when the car lots were generating revenue for the city, no one complained about how ugly they looked.

Those dealers have been gone for years. Why hasn't the city enacted new rules governing unused property? Even if owners aren't interested in development, they should be required to maintain their property. Chain link fences should be prohibited. A minimal level of landscaping is essential.

No need for the Stanford/Greenheart properties to appear so unappealing...except the owners are deliberately keeping them in disrepair, sort of a "I'm holding my breath till I turn blue" strategy. Why should anyone capitulate to this behavior?

You want to see real blight? Head over to Redwood City and see what they're building on Middlefield next to the theaters. That is the kind of blight we are going to get on El Camino if Measure M fails, and it's not so easy to camouflage that with some attractive shrubbery. Big boxy office complexes, like the Arrillaga/Stanford one, are the very definition of blight!

Want to keep blight OFF El Camino and promote the kind of resident-friendly uses that will benefit everyone, not just the developers or those who hope to share in the windfall profits? Vote YES on Measure M!