Jacobsen Development Gains Property

All Grand Terrace Citizens should read the article in the Sun Telegram.

San Bernardino County Sun

GT project to push out park residents
By Stephen WallStaff Writer
Thursday, April 14, 2005

- GRAND TERRACE - Residents of a 27-unit mobile home park will be forced to relocate to make way for a 250,000-square-foot shopping center on Barton Road east of Michigan Avenue.

BLOG OPINION
This land purchase apparently was a direct deal between the previous owner and developer Dennis D. Jacobsen Family Holdings LLC. It is understandable the owners sold the property when the offer was made under the current determination of City Manager Tom Schwab to facilitate the construction of what is called the "Town Center Development". It is understandable the residents who currently live in the Mobile Home Park are upset at the prospects of having to move. Moving is never fun. However, the nature of leased or rented property is that you don't have absolute power over your use or enjoyment of the property.

The stated plans for the Occupants for the "Town Center" were again addressed by City Manager Tom Schwab. Included in his disclosure was 45,000-square-foot Stater Bros. will include a bank, pharmacy, bakery and deli. This will provide more competition with our local small businesses and restaurants. This will also leave a large vacancy in the current shopping center. This will also put two pharmacies in a town that could not support one after the proliferation of Kaiser, Costco, and RiteAid. Will Savon be built and then abandoned to be a vacant building?

Rental Income, and Lease Income which is earned by the developer does not generate taxes for Grand Terrace. Land being held by the Redevelopment Agency who pays the taxes on that land?

The corner of Mt. Vernon and Barton Rd still has not been constructed by this same favored development company.

Does the City of Grand Terrace have the funds to lease the space for the "New Library" a Lease Payment to be made to Jacobsen. The Library is not
owned by the City of Grand Terrace. The City of Grand Terrace "offered" space to the County Library for the Branch we now enjoy. Has City Manager Tom Schwab over extended his authority and the City's authority by negotiating with Jacobsen for a leased space. Who would know when such things are "negotiated" in CLOSED meetings.

What do we lose? We lose affordable housing in Grand Terrace. Will the Jacobsen Company charge the dislocated and relocated Mobile Home Owners and Renters with the same monthly cost at their current location? Or do we not care about providing affordable housing for the people earning the wages that retail and restaurants usually pay their employees. There is a bigger picture to consider. Will you do business in the Town Center? Think about your options.