After a contentious neighborhood meeting that turned into a battle with rival social media accounts and a nasty leaflet campaign, it’s now official: Haymarket Books will be moving into Buena Park after all.
The official vote was 50 for issuing Haymarket the permit, 30 against, but unofficially—meaning people who didn’t live within 250 feet—the vote was 322-94.
“A very very special thanks to all the folks at Haymarket for their commitment to our neighborhood despite the many trials and tribulations we put them through,” Renner Barsella, the group’s administrator, wrote on its Facebook page. “We are proud to welcome you to Buena Park! I also want to recognize that this does not mean our work is done. This effort has demonstrated again how deeply divided our Uptown family is. Over the coming days and weeks I’ll be looking for ways to carry this effort forward beyond just Haymarket.”
