01-02-1973 - Laserfiche WebLink

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At 3:15 P. Iris,: a reoeSs was declared. The meeting reconvened at 3:25 P.M. with all Council members present, and the discussion on the adoption of Ordinance NS-1149 continued. Mrs. Janice Boer, 912 North Lowell Street, stated that by adopting the proposed ordinance, Council would be bringing complete, 100% unadulterated socialism to Santa Aha because they would be removing a tax shelter from someone who had it and it would be given to someone else who might misuse his position of trust and power to line his own pocket; that there .were a'lot of people who owned a great deal of property in the proposed area; that any proposed rebuilding would not have to meet any building codes; that ,the agency would be exempt from the City's zoning laws and building codes; that the School Board would be able to purchase property from the agency; that road patterns could be rearranged and new roads would be built and that the agency would end up building schools. She urged Council to have an outside attorney completely analyze the redevelopmeut law; that all sorts of strange things cout'd be:done with it; that it sounded innocent; that it authorized the agency to build apartment houses, houses, to contract as a representa- tive body of a city; that it put everyone in the entire area under the threat of condemnation; that there was no limit to the s~udy areas and subsequent project areas that could be set up; and that anyone who owned a building downtown would be excused permanently from paying any capital gains tax. Mr. Jack Odell, 2305 N. Flower, stated that there was a situation in the heart of the City that was decaying so rapidly that there would be utter chaos in a short time; that the proposed redevelopment agency was not a gift to any one individual or several individuals, but merely a facility to get prlvkte enterprise ensconced in the downtown area, and urged COuncil to get on with it. Mr. John W. (Bill) Hill, 505 N. Main, stated that he had been born and raised in Santa Ana; that the proposed ordinance was urgently needed; that the City had gone downhill very rapidly in the last ten years; that many attempts had been made by private enterprise; that he belonged to the City Center Association who have tried redevelopment; that only through use of the redevelopment agency could private enterprise be brought in. Mr. Rober, t Newcornb, 2109 E. Santa Clara, stated that he operated a retail business at 108 West Fourth Street; that in the past 15 years, the once prosperous downtown area had changed; that retail sales had declined, sales tax declined, property values had lowered considerably; that he believed the time had come for the community to get behind the effort to redevelop the downtown area. Mr. Billy C. I-Ia11, Executive Director of the City Center Association, stated that he wished to reaffirm their support of the redevelopment ordinance; that many merchants realize that their business would have to take a back seat during redevelopment and that they are going to lose out for a s-bott time by virtue of their business possibly being relocated and that he had heard no disagreeable comments with the exception of one. Mr. EdMackessy, 307 West Fourth, stated that he had been in business in Santa Aha for 8 years; that he believed that businessmen should put something back into the City; that he was planning on expanding with stores in other areas and if Santa Aha didn't do something soon, he would no longer be in the area. CITY COUNCIL MINUTES 9 JANUARY Z, 1973