Westside overhaul put on hold
Deirdre Newman
“Where’s the blight?”
This question was asked repeatedly Monday night by Westside
industrial property owners and by Redevelopment Agency members during
a heated discussion of whether 434 acres should be added to the
city’s downtown redevelopment zone.
For the property owners, it was a question about physical
disrepair; for the agency, whether the economy on the Westside is
stagnant.
Because it is unclear whether the area’s economy is lagging, the
agency voted 4 to 0 to postpone a decision for six months.
The six-month delay will give independent consultants a chance to
begin an economic study of a commercial area that runs along 19th
Street east of Monrovia. It also will allow the Community
Redevelopment Action Committee the opportunity to present its vision
and goals for the Westside next month.
Industrial property owners, who have been the most vocal critics
of the redevelopment plans, showed their displeasure by booing and
hissing the consultants from Urban Futures during their presentation
Monday. Many owners charge that their property is not blighted
physically or economically, and they have lambasted city officials
for not having a clear strategy for the future of the Westside. They
also fear the prospect of the city buying their property through
eminent domain if it is labeled blighted.
The Planning Commission had given preliminary approval to the
boundaries, which run roughly along 15th Street, Whittier Avenue,
West 19th Street and Pomona Avenue, in January.
While the owners were heartened that the agency did not accept the
proposed boundaries Monday, many fear the redevelopment train will
keep chugging along, enticing agency members to jump on board farther
down the line.
“I think it’s better than having them decide to jut move ahead,
but I would have preferred to see them reject [the boundaries] or
send [them] back to the Planning Commission for downsizing,” said Dan
Gribble, owner of Boatswain’s Locker on West 18th Street. “The
problem is a lot of data provided by [the consultants] is either
dated or erroneous and I’m concerned they’re going to continue on
with that, and that the redevelopment agency may be swayed that way.”
Before the agency made its decision, 40 people spoke. Of those,
only three expressed support for redevelopment. One of them was Chris
Fewel, a resident of the Westside as well as a Costa Mesa business
owner.
Fewel tried to dispel what he considers some of misconceptions
about redevelopment.
“When it’s misunderstood, it can sound mean-spirited, onerous and
ugly,” Fewel said. “I challenge [the redevelopment agency] to educate
these people how you will use eminent domain judiciously and that
you’re not out to do anything but raise property values.”
The Westside is a mish-mash of industrial, residential and
commercial properties that evolved haphazardly and resulted in some
houses smacking up against industrial complexes. The Downtown
Redevelopment Project was established in 1973, and new territory has
been added three times -- the last time in 1980. It includes about
200 acres.
In October 2001, the city began a study on adding more land to the
area to spur economic development, on the recommendation of the
defunct Westside Specific Plan. The study provided sufficient
evidence that other parts of the city qualify for redevelopment.
The independent consultants did a preliminary study of blight to
eliminate properties that would not qualify and arrived at the
proposed boundaries by whittling the survey area from 900 acres to
600 to the current 434.
In the past few months, industrial property owners led by John
Hawley -- the owner of Railmakers -- have resisted inclusion in the
added territory and worked to clean up their properties. These owners
say their endeavors are making a noticeable change and should be
given more time to continue.
Other property owners railed against the prospect that the city
could take their property.
“I grew up very poor and brought myself up by working hard,” said
Brian Williams, who rents out the residential property he owns on the
Westside. “I believe in the American system. ...This property is
going up in value. I don’t believe in [eminent domain]. I don’t think
it’s American.”
Agency member Libby Cowan, who suggested the six-month
postponement, said she would like staff to meet with the diverse
group of property owners on the Westside and create guidelines of
what these owners need to do to maintain their property.
Cowan also recommended staff meet with developers who “are
currently salivating over redevelopment” to find out what would
attract them to the Westside without redevelopment.
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