Yesterday couldn't have been a good day for developer Fred Rainaldi. He went before the city's Zoning Board to present his latest plans for a Rite Aid at the Monroe Avenue-South Goodman Street intersection. And he was met with more than 50 opponents who, for more than two hours, criticized his plan sharply.

Rainaldi's Rite Aid building would be more than 15,000 square feet --- substantially larger than the Zoning Ordinance allows. He would demolish the 20-unit brick apartment building on the corner, along with the rear portion of the Monroe Theater (now the fruit-colored Show World).

Rainaldi has been trying to develop the site for about 10 years and has run into resistance each time. Rainaldi has made substantial changes to the plan, but he would still need at least five significant variances. And critics were direct with members of the Zoning Board: The long-term damage to Monroe Avenue could be irreversible, they said.

The tussle between developers and community groups is about finding a shared vision. Neighbors have legitimate concerns about property values. Rainaldi owns a piece of commercial property that also comes with some rights.

Then there is the city, eager for development.

Getting to a shared vision is no easy task.

Rainaldi clearly sees the retail venture as a positive step. And to answer some of the neighbors' concerns, he agreed to find a way to salvage the theater's façade, add four townhouses, and create additional office space --- a project that resembles the multi-use urban plan the Monroe Village Task Force says it favors.

But the Task Force, which has been leading the opposition to Rainaldi's plan, wants more. Its leaders envision a four-story building that includes residential and office space on the upper floors and a small pharmacy or other retail in the street level.

Rainaldi says his client, Rite Aid, is firm about having the large store or nothing at all. And, he says, as the developer, there's only so much risk he's willing to assume.

And there's the rub. If the site is as desirable and versatile as the Task Force believes, why haven't other developers been rushing to put their cash on the table? If Rainaldi walks away, the current eyesores may linger for years to come.

That's the thing about coming to a shared vision. Understanding the shared risk is prerequisite.