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.”