OPEN MARTINEZ - Preserve. Promote. Enhance. Unite.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
A man owned property in a small Bay Area town of approximately 9,000 residents. Like Martinez, a highway divides that city in the way Highway 4 divides ours. The little town survived despite the meager economy which had been intentionally depressed by the County and the City. Since there wasn’t much development, to eradicate the so-called existing blight, a Redevelopment Agency was started which took in every small business in town. The Redevelopment Agency got its start there during late 1995. Most people still did not understand what it was and therefore didn't pay any attention to it.
In early 1996, the man who owned the property provided many revised plans to the Planning Commission regarding a project that the man had been trying to develop. Massive stumbling blocks were placed in his way. He still had not made the “Redevelopment Agency” connection and requested a meeting with the affected city department heads to tell him what was wrong with his proposal. His property was correctly zoned and followed the General Plan, yet he was besieged with the constant delays. Then, in a subsequent meeting, the word "Redevelopment" reared its ugly little head.
When the City first introduced the idea that his property was inside a proposed Redevelopment Agency Project Area and that his land was to be part of a large commercial project, it didn't take long to finally understand the real meaning and finally why all his attempts to develop his property were met with outright hostility and rejection by the City. It became obvious that the City had put out the word to stop anything from moving forward until the Redevelopment Agency Project Area Plan was fully operational.
In the meantime the property owner lost all his financial backing for the project being proposed and almost all other opportunities to develop his property. This caused him huge financial problems.
This property owner learned about this horrible new menace to his small community as did other citizens. The overwhelming populous was shocked and dismayed at what they heard but the City was unfazed and plodded forward against all odds, continually ignoring all requests for information until legal actions were threatened.
Do we have something in common with this property owner? You bet we do. Is what happened to him in another city already happening in downtown Martinez? Are the empty storefronts in downtown kept empty for a reason so the City can declare it “blighted?” Where is Code Enforcement and why haven’t they done something in downtown to enforce our regulations? Is the City planning to use our downtown as a starting place for this horrible new enemy called a “Redevelopment Agency?” We need to step up and stop this now. No Redevelopment Agency for Martinez.

Anne Mobley
229-1900