Wednesday, February 1
The Bad:
California's redevelopment agencies received some very bad news on two fronts that ensures the demise of redevelopment as we now know it.
1) Last Thursday, legislative leaders in Sacramento announced that the SB 659 would not be advanced through committee. As I told you in our last email, that bill would have delayed the dissolution of local redevelopment agencies until April 15.
2) Last Friday, a Superior Court judge rejected two lawsuits brought by 12 cities who were claiming that the legislative action to dissolve the redevelopment agencies violated the state constitution.
All of California's redevelopment agencies will officially disappear as of today.
In Oceanside, the City Council has appointed itself as the "Successor Agency" to our local redevelopment agency. This new agency will be charged with the following responsibilities:
* Dispose of all assets and properties of the former redevelopment agency that were funded by tax increment revenues of the dissolved redevelopment agency;
* Cease performance in connection with and end all existing agreements that do not qualify as enforceable obligations;
* Transfer housing responsibilities and all rights, powers and obligations, along with any amounts on deposit in the low-and moderate-income housing fund, to the appropriate entity pursuant to state law;
* Terminate any agreement between the dissolved redevelopment agency and any public entity in the same county.
The new Successor Agency will be supervised by a seven member Oversight Board including appointments by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, Mayor Jim Wood and Oceanside Unified School District Superintendent Larry Perondi. The California State Finance Department will supervise the Oversight Board.
The Good:
Oceanside City Manager Peter Weiss and City Attorney John Mullen have determined that approximately $11 million can be used for previously planned projects in the downtown area. Redevelopment Manager Kathy (Baker) Brann says that the money could be used to complete the Mission Avenue Improvements Project. Other projects that may be considered are the beachfront restrooms and a second downtown parking structure. It is expected that the City Council will hold a workshop to determine the fate of the remaining redevelopment funds and decide which projects will be completed.
The Very Good:
The Colorado-based company that acquired the five Citimark blocks has announced plans to build a 150 room Springhill Suites hotel on one of their lots. The company has been given the green light by the City and hopes to open the hotel in 2013. The construction of these hotel rooms would allow the company to eventually go forward with the other four blocks in the previously approved Citimark plan. None of the projects on these five blocks would require City funds.
We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you posted.
It isn't over 'til it's over...
Judge rejects efforts to halt elimination of California redevelopment agencies
By PETER HECHT
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 - 12:00 am
SACRAMENTO, Calif -- SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A Sacramento Superior Court judge Friday refused to stave off the elimination of more than 400 local California redevelopment agencies, rejecting arguments that the Legislature violated the state constitution by cutting off their funding.
Judge Lloyd G. Connelly's ruling on two lawsuits by 12 cities means the agencies stand to be dissolved by Wednesday. His refusal to grant a stay in the cases handed another victory to Gov. Jerry Brown, who has counted on the elimination of redevelopment agencies to deliver more money for schools and public safety.
Read more here: LINK
Extension for California redevelopment agencies stalls
By Torey Van Oot
[email protected]
Published: Friday, Jan. 27, 2012 - 12:00 am | Page 3A
An effort to extend the life of local redevelopment agencies through April 15 is "not going to happen," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said Thursday.
Legislation to that effect, Senate Bill 659 by Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla, faces a Tuesday deadline for winning passage in the state Assembly, in addition to the Wednesday deadline to close the agencies.
"I'm skeptical," Steinberg said. "I think the speaker is skeptical, and the governor is dead set against the bill. The focus needs to be on re-creating a new set of economic development tools for cities and not on trying to keep alive the current form."
Read more here: LINK
OCEANSIDE: Downtown Marriott hotel back on track
By RAY HUARD [email protected] | Posted: Saturday, January 28, 2012 4:00 pm
A long-awaited downtown Oceanside hotel that will be one block east of where the city plans a seaside luxury resort could be under construction as soon as this summer, property owners said this week.
GF Real Estate Group is moving ahead with the smaller hotel project, originally planned by CityMark Development LLC, that's within a nine-block section of downtown that includes the Wyndham Timeshare Resort.
"We're excited about the project; we think the project makes a lot of sense for the downtown Oceanside development plan," GF Real Estate Vice President Justin Roberts said.
Read more here: LINK
Downtown Oceanside to get new hotel
Written by Nathan Scharn
2:24 p.m., Jan. 19, 2012
Updated 7:06 p.m. , Jan. 20, 2012
OCEANSIDE - Oceanside may soon land a new hotel downtown, though not the Oceanside Beach Resort city leaders have talked about for years.
The hotel is part of a plan for development of nine blocks, including one with the already built Wyndham Oceanside Pier Resort on Myers Street, near the Oceanside Pier. Five of those blocks were owned by development company CityMark, which planned to build condos, office space and retail facilities. GF Real Estate Group in recent years acquired CityMark, city documents say, and the new owners are eager to move the project along.
The first step involves building a hotel. Plans for the block called for a seven-story 124-unit hotel, 39 residential units and 9,000 square feet of retail space. GF Real Estate Group would like to build instead a six-story hotel with 150 rooms and move the residential units to other blocks, according to a city memorandum from Redevelopment Manager Kathy Brann, sent to the City Council and dated Jan. 12.
Read more here: LINK
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