I just happen to pick up my wifes’ copy of Ladies’ Home Journal and read the story about the abandoned pets. How heart breaking to think that people can just walk away from a family member like that. My wife and I have adopted two dogs ( one deaf ) and four cats. I would rather cut off my arm than leave any of them behind if we had to move ( not likely as we own our home ) . I would just like to say that I have the highest regard for people like yourself. Good luck in your endeavors.

My family visited the Streets of Brentwood yesterday afternoon for the first time. I was very disappointed. Here is a quick laundry list of things that I think need to be changed right away.

PROBLEM #1: NO FOOD! Chocolate and cinnamon rolls do not count. Not even a coffee shop? Real people need real food if they are going to hang out and shop. Rubios isn’t open yet and when it does, fish tacos aren’t going to meet the needs of the entire center. Salad Makers is coming soon? Not soon enough. Red Robin is opening in December? That’s nice…just be prepared to wait two hours to get a table because it is the only REAL restaurant going in.

SOLUTION #1: GET FOOD VENDORS IN THERE NOW! Hamburger & fries stand, hot dog stand, taco stand, popcorn stand, smoothie stand, coffee stand….anything is better than what they have now: NOTHING! Worried about the ambiance? Get over it. Without food people will disappear. What a nice Halloween treat that will be: a lifestyle center with no life. How’s that for ambiance?

PROBLEM #2: THE SIDEWALKS ARE VERY NARROW. Listen, if you want people to walk around and shop, you need to give them room to walk. The width of the sidewalks is an inconsistent maze of concrete posts, planters and lamp posts. Foot traffic constantly has to dodge obstacles left and right, readjust here, turn there, etc. Foot traffic doesn’t flow. It just isn’t pedestrian-friendly….especially for anyone with a kid in a stroller. Guess what? That’s like half of Brentwood. Sure, there is plenty of room to walk around in the middle walkway…where there is nothing but a huge fountain and a few benches.

SOLUTION #2: WIDEN THE SIDEWALKS AND/OR ADD MORE CROSSWALKS BETWEEN THE MIDDLE WALKWAY AND THE STORES. You have to see it to get the full effect of what I am suggesting. Widen the sidewalks. If that is not an option, the least they could do is install more ramps and crosswalks that lead from the middle walkway to the stores. This will allow strollers….they take up a lot of walkway space…to be in the middle walkway and hit the stores they want without having to worry about going down and back up a curb.

PROBLEM #3: TOO MUCH PARKING IN THE HUB OF THE CENTER. Imagine a mall. Take the roof off and make it more aesthetically pleasing. Nice, eh? Now imagine that some genius decided to pave a road through the middle of the mall and allow people to park there. “Hey, let’s call it the Brentwood Streets!” Now you have parking inside AND outside the mall. Someone care to explain that to me? You think it is too far for people to walk? Why not make all the store drive-through? That way, no one would have to get out of their cars. Seriously though, parking should be on the outside and only foot traffic should be allowed on the inside. It works beautifully in at the Irvine Spectrum: http://www.shopirvinespectrumcenter.com

SOLUTION #3: SEVERELY RESTRICT PARKING INSIDE THE HUB TO JUST A FEW HANDICAPPED SPOTS AND A FEW 5-10 MINUTE LOADING/UNLOADING SPOTS OR DO AWAY WITH INSIDE PARKING ALL TOGETHER. It makes about as much sense to allow parking in the hub as it would to open up Disneyland’s Main Street USA to parking. Cars do not belong in there. Imagine how horrible it will be during the holiday shopping spree. The sidewalks are so narrow that people will be forced to walk in the “streets”. Don’t wait until a pedestrian gets hit to do something about it. Let the name “Brentwood Streets” stay if it makes you happy but let it be a safe place for shoppers.