kfc to north park: screw your urban village

i hadn't been down university in north park in a while but a couple of visits this week allowed me to take in the full flip-off that the new kfc has given the neighborhood. this voice of san diego article has a summary of the regulatory wool-over-the-eyes that was pulled off to allow a complete re-build of the grease factory there. while i'm still trying to comprehend what it actually says, basically the kfc folks explained that they were doing a remodel, permission was granted, then they tore down the building and put up a new one without consulting anyone about how it should look or be oriented. the result: the new building continues to be the only non-street-facing location on university for blocks, featuring several quaint parking spaces out front.

i'm sure kfc was aware that residents wanted a building more in line with the urban village concept going on there, one that would front the street with parking in back. and kfc wants their street-front parking lot, so that's that. the front door actually faces the side street.

next time you're in north park, think about the kind of businesses you want to support - ones that are pedestrian-friendly, face the street and have the best interests of the neighborhood in mind, or kfc, who couldn't give a shit about what the people in their own neighborhood think so long as they can sell their obesity-inducing, artery-filling crap to them.