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A Register article (“Sunset Magazine applauds Brea,” Local Section, Jan. 19) indicates there may be some truth to the notion that the hot trend of redeveloping downtowns with apartment lofts and trendy shops and restaurants is really a revival of Soviet-style commune living. Opponents denounce it as social engineering. The media for sure is buying into Soviet-style propaganda on new downtowns. Sunset Magazine cites redeveloped downtown Brea in labeling the city as one of the five best places to live in the Western US. Without attribution, the Register reporter called downtown Brea “a thriving regional entertainment center.” It also features two theaters with 22 movie screens. Some Mission Viejo officials want to mimic downtown Brea in redeveloping the shopping center at La Paz and Marguerite. But the Brea prototype is virtually empty, even at a peak times, as I wrote in a recent letter to the editor. Sunset Magazine says Brea residents are “like-minded” in wanting a small-town sense of community. This may not make them comrades, but for sure Brea folks are like-minded in staying away from their new downtown. Allan Pilger |
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