Mayor Ferre cuts off public comment.
Neighbors of the project also criticized aspects of the project, such as the 6-foot wall designed to separate their houses from the Stater Bros.' noise and lights, but Mayor Maryetta Ferre said that wasn't part of the night's agenda.
"The (Town Square) project has been approved," she said. "The wall falls under that project. I'm going to leave that to (Powers) and Stater Bros. to work out. For tonight, this is strictly between the city and Stater Bros."
Here is the problem with that thought. If Stater's was so cash strapped to NEED to get 1.23 Million Dollars from cash strapped little Grand Terrace there was a last chance for the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency to say that there would be no additional taxpayer support for the building of a Stater Brothers. For those where are financial conservatives they would be satisfied. If Stater's refused to build without taxpayers funds then the folks wanting a better environment for their neighborhoods would also win. But, clearly the Triad on the City Council had no need to hear the public the decision had already been made.
"This is strictly between the city and Stater Bros"... public has no say so or additional input... in the faint hope of changing a council members mind, prior to a vote.
If Jacobsen over charged Stater Brothers 1.23 Million for the property or the total price of the "Deal" then that should have been resolved between them and not subsidized by the Grand Terrace Tax Payers.
Will the city have a city employee in the store keeping check on the 77 full time jobs or equivalent number of part time employees who will work with less benefits and at a lower wage? Will the city have a construction inspector to insure that 140 people are working on that site on the day it starts construction to the day it is finished? How do we know these are NEW Construction Jobs or Workers not "OLD" Workers? Staters owns its own construction company or didn't the City Know that?
The city should allow local restaurants to cater the construction site. Their businesses will be going down as soon as the Stater's Deli is open.
Well, it is a high price to pay to have a store come make money off of the community. It would be better if the City Planning Department found a business for GT that created product and sold it out of GT. This would generate REAL income increases for our community and local businesses.
Oh now that we know what Stater's is getting out of the deal from the city, will the existing shopping center be given an equal amount of funds to upgrade their facility? Perhaps a solar parking lot? So that their occupants have a lower energy bill could be purchased for about that amount of money.
So what happened to the right of the people to speak in Grand Terrace? I guess you have the right to speak but that is not the right to be heard and your issues considered or answered.
Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15967316#ixzz0yMrEiEU0
Neighbors of the project also criticized aspects of the project, such as the 6-foot wall designed to separate their houses from the Stater Bros.' noise and lights, but Mayor Maryetta Ferre said that wasn't part of the night's agenda.
"The (Town Square) project has been approved," she said. "The wall falls under that project. I'm going to leave that to (Powers) and Stater Bros. to work out. For tonight, this is strictly between the city and Stater Bros."
Here is the problem with that thought. If Stater's was so cash strapped to NEED to get 1.23 Million Dollars from cash strapped little Grand Terrace there was a last chance for the City Council and the Redevelopment Agency to say that there would be no additional taxpayer support for the building of a Stater Brothers. For those where are financial conservatives they would be satisfied. If Stater's refused to build without taxpayers funds then the folks wanting a better environment for their neighborhoods would also win. But, clearly the Triad on the City Council had no need to hear the public the decision had already been made.
"This is strictly between the city and Stater Bros"... public has no say so or additional input... in the faint hope of changing a council members mind, prior to a vote.
If Jacobsen over charged Stater Brothers 1.23 Million for the property or the total price of the "Deal" then that should have been resolved between them and not subsidized by the Grand Terrace Tax Payers.
Will the city have a city employee in the store keeping check on the 77 full time jobs or equivalent number of part time employees who will work with less benefits and at a lower wage? Will the city have a construction inspector to insure that 140 people are working on that site on the day it starts construction to the day it is finished? How do we know these are NEW Construction Jobs or Workers not "OLD" Workers? Staters owns its own construction company or didn't the City Know that?
The city should allow local restaurants to cater the construction site. Their businesses will be going down as soon as the Stater's Deli is open.
Well, it is a high price to pay to have a store come make money off of the community. It would be better if the City Planning Department found a business for GT that created product and sold it out of GT. This would generate REAL income increases for our community and local businesses.
Oh now that we know what Stater's is getting out of the deal from the city, will the existing shopping center be given an equal amount of funds to upgrade their facility? Perhaps a solar parking lot? So that their occupants have a lower energy bill could be purchased for about that amount of money.
So what happened to the right of the people to speak in Grand Terrace? I guess you have the right to speak but that is not the right to be heard and your issues considered or answered.
Read more: http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15967316#ixzz0yMrEiEU0Stater Bros. wins OK to build store in Grand Terrace
The city will pay the store developer as much as $1.2 million over five years, $962,500 of which is tied to Staters Bros. maintaining the equivalent of 77 full-time employees.
City staff predict tax revenue of $35,000 per year for the general fund and $70,000 per year to the Redevelopment Agency, although Joyce Powers, the city's community and economic development director, emphasized that property tax should increase when other businesses enter the Town Square, which will feature the Stater Bros. as a centerpiece.
She said businesses have shied away from the square because of the economy and the lack of a prominent store to attract business.
Jack Brown, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of San Bernardino-based Stater Bros. Markets, estimated his store will generate nearly $800,000 a year in sales tax that will be distributed to state, county and Grand Terrace coffers.
Some residents, including City Council candidate Sylvia Robles, argued that the city will pay more in economic inducement than it will gain from the store.
"I fully support Stater Bros.," Robles said. "I personally do not think Stater Bros. needs a taxpayer handout. It's a profitable enterprise."
Others said the store, which has been in the works for 10 years, was long overdue.
"Every city, every town, needs to have a big store as an anchor," said resident Thelma Winkler-Beach. "Staters is our anchor."
On Aug. 24, Mayor Pro Tem Lee Ann Garcia was ill and did not attend the regularly scheduled meeting when the issue was originally on the agenda.
Councilman Walt Stanckiewitz, who recused himself because his La Pasta Italia restaurant is within 500 feet of the project, forced Wednesday's meeting.
Neighbors of the project also criticized aspects of the project, such as the 6-foot wall designed to separate their houses from the Stater Bros.' noise and lights, but Mayor Maryetta Ferre said that wasn't part of the night's agenda.
"The (Town Square) project has been approved," she said. "The wall falls under that project. I'm going to leave that to (Powers) and Stater Bros. to work out. For tonight, this is strictly between the city and Stater Bros."
Resident Vince Bartman questioned that any development was better than the existing vacant field.
"You put up Stater Bros, with all that light pollution, you're going to take away my stars," he said. "You're going to take away my view of the mountain. That's all we have for nature in Grand Terrace."
ryan.hagen@inlandnewspapers.comRead more: http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_15967316#ixzz0yMqNhjU
