Dear Sudbury Properties,

We, the concerned residents of the Eastern Chula Vista area are not happy with the Sudburry Properties' decision to not only close two loved restaurants, Via Lago and Karinas, but to TEAR down those beautiful buildings and fountain to make room for a CVS. We want you to hear us loud WE DON'T WANT A CVS in that shopping center!! This is OUR community and you are destroying it!!

Note to Chula Vista Citizens,

The residents of Chula Vista are very concerned with Sudberry Properties' new plan to tear down two well-known and well-loved restaurants in the Village Walk Shopping Center in Eastlake. The plan is for a CVS to go in place of these two establishments. Via Lago Trattoria and Karina's Seafood are being forced out to make way for another drug store that this area does not need. There are several drug stores in the area, but a lack of locally owned restaurants. Not only would this take away two great restaurants, but it will also alter the look and feel of a very beautiful shopping center. The fountain and outdoor eating areas will be taken out and replaced by the CVS. The shopping center also lacks parking, so putting a large retailer in place of the restaurants will make a crowded parking lot even worse. Please take a moment to sign the petition to keep this change from occurring. If you have a minute, it would be helpful to also to e-mail [email protected] and [email protected] to let them know your opinions on the new plan. Hopefully there is still time to present this plan from taking place. We need to support local businesses! Thank you for your time.

Here is a comment from a family member of the owners of Via Lago Trattoria. "My family owns Via Lago. Via Lago opened almost 8 years ago. It is literally like a second home. Closing it will be sad on many levels. After a year, leasing negotiations have failed. Via Lago will be closing. No definite date is set yet. Sudberry Properties will be tearing down both restaurants, including the fountain and outdoor seating area building a CVS. The plans are currently in the review process at the City of Chula Vista. The process to build this will take … months/a year. There are other tenant changes at Village Walk. I am not at liberty to say. But I will share, it further "sanitizes" the shopping experience that we all once loved. Some here have questioned what an email to a leasing agent will do. True, a corporation can give Sudberry more $,$ per month than a chef/owner restaurant. But what YOU can do as a consumer and member of this community is let your voice be heard about what kind of retailers you WANT ...via an email. And what kind of retailers YOU will support via your purchasing power. It is YOUR choice where you chose to buy your milk, spend your night out, pick up your groceries. Every time you spend your money you are essentially voting for what you support. Besides it personally being beyond disappointing to see the restaurant close after seeing blood, sweat and tears from family poured in to the place, it's sad for several reasons. 1) Once an owner/chef restaurant closes under these circumstances…it is so very difficult to get another one in the community. The restaurant community is very tight. To find another chef/owner to take that risk is a tough sell. Why are owner/chef restaurants so great….? They remember their customers. You aren't a number or a dollar to them. I know personally my family's "regulars." You want someone to remember your favorite wine, give a scoop of gelato to your child, and help personalize your anniversary or send soup home to your sick mom…? Support small business. 2) I hate seeing my hometown turn into a sanitized big box store community. The personality becomes drained, the sense of community is lessened and that makes me really sad as I bring up my children here. 3) Small business supports their community. Via Lago has given to the Living Coast Discovery Center (formerly Chula Vista Nature Center)for years. They support local nonprofits like the Eastlake Educational Foundation and give back to local sports teams, local fundraisers where they can. It is rare to find a corporation able to relate or personalize help at such a level. 4) The family worked SO HARD …and to see it torn down for a CVS … sterile corporation is so … so very hard to swallow. Especially after hearing how the property mgmt. thinks a CVS is needed. Which sends the message, they don't know or rather don't care about our neighborhood. Maybe collective voices will make them pause in the future to think what kind of retailers a community will support. Also, on a personal note, if you love VL … and you want to send an email of support, feel free to email my mom at [email protected] Tell her and Joe why you want them to stay in the community, what you love about the restaurant and if they moved….that you'd follow them. OR if you are in the shopping center, drop a note off to Jan & Joe. I KNOW they'd LOVE to hear from you…and I know your words will help inspire them to keep sharing their love of food and family with the community. THANK YOU so much"