Downtown development in Azusa hits new snag

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Downtown development in Azusa hits new snag
By Bethania Palma, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/21/2008 10:51:41 PM PST


AZUSA - The developer working on bringing a portion of the city's downtown development to life removed the management team from the project, officials said this week.
The team advised on technical, economic and design aspects for the City Council, community and staff, and acted as liaison with the developer.

City officials said they do not believe progress will be hindered on the transit-oriented project. The City Council on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to use eminent domain on non-residential properties located in the redevelopment area.

Azusa City Manager Fran Delach said the city will consider going with another developer but for now will stay with Watt Genton Associates.

"We don't feel that changing developers would slow anything down because we believe that many would be interested in doing a project of this nature," he said. "It's a City Council and community-driven project, not a developer-driven project."

He added that although the development is transit-oriented, it is not transit-dependent.

Delach added that the Target project planned for the west side of Azusa Avenue, north of Foothill Boulevard, will also move forward uninterrupted.

But business owners said they were concerned that more setbacks could equal more time in limbo.

"They don't want to stop progress, but they want to be treated fairly," said Peggy Martinez, director of the Downtown Azusa Business Association.

John Cortez, whose father owns Johnny's Tow on North Azusa Avenue, said the news has caused confusion.
"People are saying, `Who is the team? Who is the developer?"' he said. "Watt was not (at the weekly Downtown North Advisory Committee Meeting)."

He said the family-owned business has been working with and waiting on developers since finding out their property was in a redevelopment zone two years ago, and wants the uncertainty to end.

"There has been a lot of non-action, a lot of talk and no real movement," he said. "We'll just keep forging ahead and running our business as we have and see how things play out, there's not much else we can do."

City officials said the eminent domain procedure will not be delayed.

"The project from the city's standpoint is moving forward," said Councilman Uriel Macias, who chairs the Downtown North Advisory Committee. "These kinds of things happen. People come and go. There was a different team when they were approved as the developer."

www.sgvtribune.com/rds_search/ci_8330934

[AzusaRez]

I have to say it seem Mayor Rocha and this current council have derailed many of our projects in the downtown area. How many projects halted in the middle of construction have you seen lately? What about Jakes Hot Dogs and Sausages on Azusa that has taken over a year to move forward? What about La Tolteca that had a ground breaking , then took like 18 months to actually move? Downtown North project? Where's block 36? Why do we still have boarded up buildings in the downtown? The city needs to speed up business and work with those who are willing to invest here. Are they too inexperienced to handle multiple projects at once? Do they know how to encourage development and keep it quaint and unique at the same time? I doubt it. But that is what makes great ciites. Joe Rocha and his do-gooders have taken us back 5 years in time it appears...

[Good stuff]

The last comment is a good example of why people should become more directly involved, or at least examine things more carefully, so that they're better informed. I don't think there is even one project that has been derailed, as they put it. If they're talking about the newspaper article, the downturn in the real estate market is what caused Watt-Genton to dissolve into Watt Companies. The new entity lost the entire team that was working directly with Azusa's Downtown North Advisory Committee (a committee in which one Cove resident proudly holds a seat!). The committee and the City want to either find a way to work with the development team that was already in place, or explore other developers. Unless the city council or the DNAC has some sort of magical power that can turn the overall economy, there's nothing they could have done to prevent a company from folding. No one is to blame for that. But the projects overseen by the DNAC are still moving forward. So the question isn't "if" they'll be developed, it's more of "who" will be the developers.

Jake's and La Tolteca weren't City redevelopment agency projects. The owners are paying for what's getting built, for as long as it takes to do it. (I heard Jake's may have got some assistance later on, but I'm not certain of that.) In La Tolteca's case, it took several years. But they did it on their own. Block 36 AKA Azusa Village Center only had its ground breaking several weeks ago. Its developer, Lowe Enterprises, experienced their own delays because of the real estate market. Currently there are notices being circulated about traffic delays because its construction is getting started. I'm assuming that the previous commentator must not drive by the Foothill Center too often, because it's being remodeled at quite a speedy rate! Target in Dowtown is moving forward with all signs positive, and a major grocery chain is studying the location across from it on Azusa Avenue & Ninth. A new seafood restaurant is going into the old La Tolteca, and Max's Mexican Cuisine, formerly Rancho Los Magueyas, is relocating to the Downtown area. Though it's at a very early stage, Home Depot is attempting to negotiate with the businesses to the east of Costco, to open a new HD store and redevelop that entire shopping center in cooperation with Costco. So I'd say that, especially in spite of downturn in the economy, what we're doing in Azusa is pretty encouraging.

[Neel]

I don't know how good it's going to be to get a Target and Home Depot here. Personally, I would rather still have to small town feel and drive a few miles to Covina or San Dimas to go to some big store then to have Azusa become a huge city. That's just my opinion.

However, I agree that downtown is taking a bit long.....it may just be coincidence that Rocha became mayor and the economy took a hit, but I do know that under the previous mayor, things were happening faster.

And Rosedale...that's just another story. They've almost halted all construction there and for people like my parents, who recently moved in, it's unfortunate since the place is sitting there half-built.

I wonder if it was any other city, if it would have been this bad.

[AzusaRez]

Dear Good Stuff,

Thank you for the recap, however it sounds as if you got involved with City happenings 1 or 2 years ago and then didn't realize it was going to be such hard work! Please remember, we are cognizant of "economic impacts" to projects within the City as much as the next person.

Here's the real issue - Azusa needs to reclaim or claim an identity. Glendora's "marketplace" is/will become an economic powerhouse - and thus trump many improvements we are planning. Azusa needs to dig deep and conduct development on it's own terms - developers organizational changes be damned. Otherwise, we become a placid, gray-ish city, equivalent to "oldtown" Covina (yawwwnn).

We need outside leadership to see the City's own strengths... All of your other points are essentially excuses devoid of smart development... bring back Rick Cole please!

[Tanya]

neel said:

And Rosedale...that's just another story. They've almost halted all construction there and for people like my parents, who recently moved in, it's unfortunate since the place is sitting there half-built.

I wonder if it was any other city, if it would have been this bad.

The Rosedale development was slowed down by the Ex-Mayor Christina Madrid and her gang. It would have already all been built and sold by now if it was not for that group pushing for a vote that wasted 2 years, the all that money on a costly election, the loss of those property taxes form all of those homes, and all those new people spending money in this city. That group has literally cost this city millions of dollars.

[Melissa]

neel said:

However, I agree that downtown is taking a bit long.....it may just be coincidence that Rocha became mayor and the economy took a hit, but I do know that under the previous mayor, things were happening faster.

And Rosedale...that's just another story. They've almost halted all construction there and for people like my parents, who recently moved in, it's unfortunate since the place is sitting there half-built.

I wonder if it was any other city, if it would have been this bad.

I just spoke to someone from Glendora today. They have a new home project that is going into it's 3rd phase. It started after Rosedale started. The builder has said that they are 'selling like hotcakes.'

It really helps that Glendora has such highly rated schools. Something really needs to be done about the schools in Azusa. It pushes down the value of each of our homes in a down economy by as much as several hunded thousand dollars. Residents of Azusa need to be given other options than the current school district, possibly creating a charter school for people that are not willing to settle for things being between ok and down right terrible.