Council says "yes" to Promenade deal
There weren't a lot of fireworks at Tuesday's City Council sessions, hence the focus on the Redlands Bicycle Classic in the print edition of The Sun. The biggest news of the evening was the council's approval of a development agreement with Chicago-based General Growth Properties concerning the Redlands Promenade, a planned shopping center that would be built south of the 10 Freeway, west of Eureka Street.
The four-year deal locks in the city's existing development rules and fee schedule. The agreeement also commits City Hall to install traffic signals around the project and make other "regional improvements" such as sewer and drainage improvements. The agreement describes these regional improvements as work that "was contemplated to be constructed by the City without regard to the proposed Project."
The council voted 4-0 to seal the deal, Councilman Jerry Bean recused himself, explaining that he had a conflict of interest relating to a source of income.
Martin Vahtra of General Growth Properties said the company could pull building permits within a month's time.
"Our goal is to get into the ground as quickly as we possibly can," he told council members.
Other City Council actions on Tuesday included:
-The council voted 5-0 to approve a lease agreement with Omnipoint Communications, AKA T-Mobile, that's needed for the company's plans to build a cell tower at Hillside Memorial Park, which is the city-run cemetery.
The deal calls for T-Mobile to shell out $1,999 per month for the first year of contract. T-Mobile's monthly payments would jump to $2,100 for the next four years. After the first five years of the term, the city can hike rents by 18 percent for the next five-year term.
T-Mobile does not yet have the ability to construct the tower. The Planning Commission has yet to grant that permit.
No one at the meeting spoke in opposition to the proposed tower. A different T-Mobile tower that's been proposed to be built near homes along Country Club Drive has aroused serious opposition among a group of neighbors who have protested that proposal based on their worries about the radio frequency-emitting tower posing a possible health risk and an unwelcome sight from their homes.
-The council accepted an $18,750 donation from the Redlands Noon Kiwanis Club for landscaping along Eureka Street's median between Pearl Street and Redlands Boulevard. Several motorists entering Redlands from the 10 Freeway use Eureka Street and it's no exaggeration to say that area could use a little sprucing up, given its proximity to some vacant land and a few buildings that have seen better days.
Mayor Jon Harrison recused himself from the formal vote to accept the money because his employer, ESRI founder Jack Dangermond, was one of the donors.
-The closed session agenda included contract negotiations between Harrison and City Manager N. Enrique Martinez. There was no report of any decision made at the council meeting.
Martinez was hired as City Manager in March of last year. He then inked a five-year contract with a base salary of $218,000. While new to Redlands, Martinez had a rocky relationship with inland media outlets (including The Sun) that stemmed from coverage of the fact that he was hired while on administrative leave from duties with the city of Lynwood.
Martinez's defenders in Redlands said at the time that he was being retaliated against for refusing to comply with unethical behavior in Lynwood, a city that's not exactly known as a home to transparent and effective governance. The Los Angeles Wave newspaper has recently reported that three former Lynwood council members - including a pair who were in office when Martinez worked in Lynwood - have been ordered to stand trial on charges of misusing public funds.
During the past year, Martinez's achievements include the city's first balanced budget after five straight years of spending-heavy budgets and a reorganization of city offices, including the much-trumpted "One Stop Permit Center" that was intended to make it easier for people to do business with the city.
Although some of Martinez's ideas have fallen flat (remember the Mill Creek water rate plan?) council members have consistently told this blogger that they've been pleased with his work in Redlands over the past year.