Wal-Mart wins
Andrew Wainer
HUNTINGTON BEACH -- A five-year storm of controversy and rancor ended
with a quiet note of resignation and satisfaction Tuesday night with the
defeat of Measure I, thus securing the development of a Wal-Mart at the
14-acre Crest View school site.
Had it passed, the measure would have forced the city to rezone the
closed campus on Talbert Avenue near Beach Boulevard to residential and
thwarted Wal-Mart’s plan to build a 150,000-square-foot store there.
On Wednesday morning, with all 142 precincts counted, the No on I
campaign had garnered 54.1% of the vote, while Yes on I won 45.9%. The
outcome ensures that the Ocean View School District and the city will
reap the financial benefits from the megastore -- estimated at about
$400,000 a year for each.
Measure J -- a related measure that suggested the city use 50% of its
profits from Wal-Mart to improve sports and recreational facilities and
acquire a senior center site -- garnered 61% of the vote.
As the campaign came to an end Tuesday night, the participants seemed
spent by the years-long conflict and months of intense campaigning, which
was at times vicious, with accusations of wrongdoing leveled from both
sides. Neither the winners nor losers expressed the vehemence of earlier
days. Both seemed to accept their fate and look toward the future.
“We will begin as fast as humanly possible,” Mayor Dave Garofalo said of
the Wal-Mart project, adding that he expected a ribbon-cutting ceremony
in January.
Officials from Arnel Retail Group, which is developing the property with
Wal-Mart, said they will come up with a schedule for the demolition of
the school and new construction within the next two weeks.
“We will meet with the city architectural review board this week,” said
Tom Love, vice president of Arnel. “The demolition permits have been
submitted to the city, and we are waiting for approval.”
With the defeat of the measure, both entities are now planning how they
will use the extra income. The city will benefit from sales taxes
generated by the store, while the school district will receive annual
income from Wal-Mart’s lease on the property.
Gathered with about 75 other No on I supporters at campaign headquarters
on McFadden Avenue on Tuesday night, Ocean View Supt. James Tarwater said
the district will soon meet to more specifically prioritize its facility
improvement projects. Tarwater has previously said the lease money gained
from Wal-Mart will be used to improve the district’s schools.
“Our middle schools will get the bigger push,” Tarwater said. “We need to
reconfigure many of their rooms for science activities, and add libraries
and locker rooms.”
Tarwater said it will be about five years before the district’s four
middle schools are fully modernized.
On the city’s end, Garofalo said the money will be put into the general
fund but used specifically on youth sports. Building a sports complex in
Central Park will be one of the first projects, he said.
Meanwhile, Wal-Mart officials breathed a sigh of relief at Tuesday’s
outcome.
“We are absolutely thrilled,” said Cynthia Lin, Wal-Mart’s community
affairs director. “We are incredibly thankful.”
As the city and school district planned how to allocate funds from its
newly won lease, Crest View United leaders who gathered at a member’s
house in the neighborhood seemed at ease with their loss.
“The people have spoken, and that’s it,” Crest View United member Barbara
Boskovich said. “I haven’t thought about what we would do if we lost.”
Crest View United members accepted their defeat with equanimity, saying
they had no plans to challenge the people’s choice.
“We don’t have another plan,” Crest View United President Marvin
Josephson said.
The ill-fated measure was put on the ballot by residents of the Crest
View neighborhood who opposed the introduction of a Wal-Mart to their
community. They said the retail giant and the accompanying traffic, noise
and congestion, would strike a harsh blow to the standard of living in
Crest View.
Crest View United, as the group called itself, said the school site on
Talbert Avenue near Beach Boulevard was in the middle of a residential
neighborhood and would be better placed at a more commercial part of the
city.
But a coalition of city and school district officials have campaigned to
defeat the measure since it was put on the ballot in September. Calling
themselves Save Our Schools, Save Our City, the group received almost
$400,000 in campaign money from Wal-Mart for their bid to defeat Measure
I.
On Tuesday night, Josephson appeared to put the affair behind him and was
ready to slip back into his regular routine.
“I’ve got to go home,” Josephson said. “I’ve got to work tomorrow.”
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