Cautious OK for Martinez Agency
By Corey Lyons
Contra Costa Newspapers
March 4, 2004
In the end, Martinez residents remain bitterly split over whether redevelopment is a worthy tool to buff up a 128-year-old city known for its sluggish downtown. Measure M, which asked voters if the city should create a redevelopment agency, passed Tuesday by only 317 votes.
The final tally was 5,656 "yes" votes, or 51.4 percent, and 5,339 "no" votes, or 48.6 percent. In a highly politicized election, the narrow margin of victory did little to settle a contentious issue that has dogged the county seat for five decades.
But proponents say the outcome shows that a majority of residents, however slight, want to move forward. City leaders are eager to do so.
"We got the OK to proceed cautiously; there were no hanging chads in this election," Councilman Mark Ross said Wednesday. "It's a green light, with a bit of yellow."
Ross, in October, had proposed the nonbinding advisory measure as a way to gauge public sentiment about redevelopment. Four of five council members, including Ross, support the funding mechanism as the most effective way to address blight in Martinez, particularly downtown.
More than 400 cities and counties in California have redevelopment agencies, but Martinez residents have long resisted it as a possible body blow to the city's small-town pace.
Bill Wainwright, the council member opposed to redevelopment, fought hard against Measure M. He helped create and distribute a tabloid called the Martinez Messenger, in which he warned that redevelopment would turn Martinez into a "sterile, lowest common denominator suburb."
"It didn't come down heavy one side or another," Wainwright said of Tuesday's election. "There's no clear mandate. To me it shows that, if we move forward, we must do it very carefully and involve the people as much as we can."
Mayor Rob Schroder said the "fear factor" spread by redevelopment critics probably made the election closer than it could have been, but added that he was ready to proceed. Planning for a redevelopment district and creating an agency is expected to take up to 14 months and cost up to $400,000.
The agency, which the council will lead, will have the power to assemble land for redevelopment, issue bonds, invest in infrastructure to lure private investment and create affordable housing.
"This will be the most watched redevelopment agency on the planet, but in a good way," Ross said.
Schroder, elected mayor in November 2002, said he would ask city staffers to explore planning and a timetable for creating the agency. Martinez, which had rejected redevelopment twice since the 1950s, has lost much of its downtown vibrancy over the years.
Contra Costa Newspapers
March 4, 2004
In the end, Martinez residents remain bitterly split over whether redevelopment is a worthy tool to buff up a 128-year-old city known for its sluggish downtown. Measure M, which asked voters if the city should create a redevelopment agency, passed Tuesday by only 317 votes.
The final tally was 5,656 "yes" votes, or 51.4 percent, and 5,339 "no" votes, or 48.6 percent. In a highly politicized election, the narrow margin of victory did little to settle a contentious issue that has dogged the county seat for five decades.
But proponents say the outcome shows that a majority of residents, however slight, want to move forward. City leaders are eager to do so.
"We got the OK to proceed cautiously; there were no hanging chads in this election," Councilman Mark Ross said Wednesday. "It's a green light, with a bit of yellow."
Ross, in October, had proposed the nonbinding advisory measure as a way to gauge public sentiment about redevelopment. Four of five council members, including Ross, support the funding mechanism as the most effective way to address blight in Martinez, particularly downtown.
More than 400 cities and counties in California have redevelopment agencies, but Martinez residents have long resisted it as a possible body blow to the city's small-town pace.
Bill Wainwright, the council member opposed to redevelopment, fought hard against Measure M. He helped create and distribute a tabloid called the Martinez Messenger, in which he warned that redevelopment would turn Martinez into a "sterile, lowest common denominator suburb."
"It didn't come down heavy one side or another," Wainwright said of Tuesday's election. "There's no clear mandate. To me it shows that, if we move forward, we must do it very carefully and involve the people as much as we can."
Mayor Rob Schroder said the "fear factor" spread by redevelopment critics probably made the election closer than it could have been, but added that he was ready to proceed. Planning for a redevelopment district and creating an agency is expected to take up to 14 months and cost up to $400,000.
The agency, which the council will lead, will have the power to assemble land for redevelopment, issue bonds, invest in infrastructure to lure private investment and create affordable housing.
"This will be the most watched redevelopment agency on the planet, but in a good way," Ross said.
Schroder, elected mayor in November 2002, said he would ask city staffers to explore planning and a timetable for creating the agency. Martinez, which had rejected redevelopment twice since the 1950s, has lost much of its downtown vibrancy over the years.
posted by Corey at 3:15 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home