The Simpleminded Mockingbird: City Manager's 8/3 weekly report: More spin, more trouble

The following are my comments on portions of City Manager Steve Duran’s weekly report, published today in the Patch.    The relevant portions of the original report are pasted below.

"Several housing developers have expressed interest in the current Corp Yard site."   There he goes again:    more housing.

Notice that Steve Duran is now (Corporate Yard and Parcel A) following the law and providing public notice of property under consideration for sale, before he has already negotiated a PSA with his chosen purchaser (as he did [before his sneaky sales were exposed] with Sycamore Crossings and Parcel C).

"Since the Redevelopment Agency purchased the site (Parcel A, Sala Restaurant, Civic [not "Community"] Arts Building) and rehabilitated the building as a commercial use and it is currently a commercial use, it is highly unlikely that the state Department of Finance (DOF) will allow the site to be transferred to the City for a civic use."    Why?    What is the source of this information?    What would the city have to lose by requesting a transfer to civic use anyway?

"Parcel C: A Purchase and Sale Agreement has been executed with DeNova Homes for the 17 acre Parcel C site."     Not dead yet.    Next, the Planning Commission must rezone the site for residential.     That could come up as early as the September 3 Planning Commission meeting, so now is the time to tell the commissioners what the community wants.    The commissioners are Mike Bowermaster (a good guy, to those who want to save Parcel C and the Hercules general plan from duranomero), Cletia Hart (Chair, also good), Richard Mitchell (Vice Chair), Jose Bibal, and Ken Morrison.

“DeNova is proposing up to 350 high-quality, high-amenity residential apartments….”    Although this sounds like advertising copy which DeNova President Dave Sanson might have written for an advertisement pushing his development, it was actually written by Steve Duran or someone who works for Duran.    For whom is Steve Duran writing this copy?     The Hercules community, or Dave Sanson?   (And why shouldn’t Duran be pitching DeNova?    Everything else about this awful transaction looks as if it were done FOR DeNova, and AGAINST the long term interests of Hercules.    Though, technically, Steve works for Hercules.    He does now, anyhow.    Do you wonder where his next job might be?)

“This transit oriented development…. “    The only thing “transit oriented” about this development is that it will produce many hundreds of new commuters with which we will have to deal.    The ITC can provide public transit for some of them, but if we didn’t have 350 new families moving to Parcel C, we wouldn’t have to worry about providing any kind of transit for any of them.    Of course, not all of them will take the bus.   This transit oriented development will dump hundreds of more cars & trucks & SUVs onto our crowded streets, several times a day, every day.

Excerpts from the city manager's report:

DATE: August 3, 2012

TO: Mayor Romero and City Council Members

City Employees

Members of the Public

FROM: Steve Duran, City Manager

SUBJECT: City Manager’s Weekly Report

Corporation Yard: Staff is working on analysis and recommendations regarding a new site for the City’s Corporation Yard so that the current location can be considered for sale. Several housing developers have expressed interest in the current Corp Yard site. In order to sell that site, the City must have a suitable site for the Corp Yard, declare the current Corp Yard site surplus and offer it to public entities, and if no public entities offer to buy the site, then market the site. Staff recommends that the City Council discuss this topic on August 28 and schedule a community meeting to discuss this item and the disposition of the Sala Restaurant site in September.

Sala Restaurant: Per direction from the City Council, staff has consulted with legal counsel regarding the disposition of the Sala Restaurant site, also known as the Community Arts Building. Since the Redevelopment Agency purchased the site and rehabilitated the building as a commercial use and it is currently a commercial use, it is highly unlikely that the state Department of Finance (DOF) will allow the site to be transferred to the City for a civic use. On addition, the restaurant owners have engaged a broker to sell the business and there is a good possibility that there will be an offer to purchase the business and the building for the continuance of a restaurant use. Staff will be contacting the DOF to see if they can provide a quick decision on such transactions if the City as Successor Agency and the Oversight Board approve. The provisions of ABx26 and AB1484 continue to create obstacles for homeowners and business owners that have loans from former redevelopment agencies.

Parcel C: A Purchase and Sale Agreement has been executed with DeNova Homes for the 17 acre Parcel C site. DeNova is proposing up to 350 high-quality, high-amenity residential apartments with a condo map and is considering the feasibility of some retail on the site. Two to three acres of the site will be used for a bio-retention area and a sewer lift station. This transit oriented development will provide support for the Intermodal Transit Center and the planned retail/restaurant node on Bayfront Boulevard adjacent to the ITC. The Agreement is currently in its due diligence phase. Staff and legal counsel are working to remove and modify certain outdated easements