Drummond Take on Town Center
Redevelopment (Take 2)
Yorba Linda Star -
Feb. 3, 2005
Shuffling of players in redevelopment game
Several surprising aspects of the skirmish
over Old Towne redevelopment plans have emerged in recent
days:
A small band of citizens have organized to oppose the Town
Center project as envisioned by the City Council. Their efforts
might turn a supposed "done deal" into a classic
David versus Goliath confrontation, although Goliath still
holds an advantage.
Opponents are heartened by a recent city survey showing
slim public awareness of the Town Center plan. According
to the survey, 51 percent of respondents had "not heard" of
the plan, 33 percent knew "a little," 10 percent "almost
nothing" and 6 percent "a lot."
Historical Conservancy President Ed Rakochy hopes to develop
an informational and marketing strategy to inform, educate
and engage the community. "Like Yogi Berra said, ‘It
ain’t over ’til it's over,’ " Rakochy
writes on the opponents’ www.ylforum.org Web site.
The city plans its own public relations push, including
a colorful newsletter extolling the economic revitalization
of the Main Street area as a gathering place.
Some business owners are worried about suggestions to "reposition" them
to make way for more trendy shops. While the 1927 building
housing Yorba Linda Hardware certainly will survive, its
patrons might be ordering dinner rather than buying tools
and toilet parts.
Other owners think the promise of more customers and greater
visibility will result in higher rents; some longtime residents
just don't want to be forced out of the sleepy area. And
others object to higher densities, low-income housing and
ever-increasing traffic.
The city's role in using the threat of eminent domain to
acquire property to sell to private developers doesn't seem
to faze the elected representatives of the county's second-most
Republican city (only slightly behind tiny Villa Park's GOP
majority).
In fact, usually conservative Councilman Jim Winder advocated
a "loose construction" interpretation of the Constitution
at the council's Jan. 18 meeting. His suggestion that the
definition of "public use" should change with the
times is a standard liberal position.
A FINAL NOTE – Many Yorba Lindans express concerns
about the campaign donations developers pass on to selected
contenders for council and water board positions.
Usually, these donations flow to incumbents and candidates
supported by incumbents and play a key role in helping recipients
pay for expensive election-year mailings to voters.
Now, a major developer is honoring elected officials by
donating money to charity.
Directors of the Yorba Linda Water District recently received
a letter from the Make A Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles
acknowledging a donation made in each of their names, sponsored
by S&S Construction and Shapell Industries Inc.
Jim Drummond is a longtime Yorba Linda resident.
JIM DRUMMOND POLITICAL PERSPECTIVES
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