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El Cerrito "blight"
Letter to the Editor - Contra Costa Times - 05/28/2009
El Cerrito 'blight'
Redevelopment was supposed to be a cure for blight. Now it is a tool for city planning.
Examples:
Bowling alley and restaurant declared "blight." Target loans city large sum of money to acquire land. Target builds and operates for a few years. Redevelopment Agency pockets property tax revenues. Target closes, with El Cerrito still owing large sum plus interest.
Block of small businesses on San Pablo Avenue, from Central to Fairmount avenues, including a former theater/warehouse. Owners of "eat and watch" movie theater in another city offer to create same type of theater for El Cerrito. You guessed it, property declared "blight." City invests millions for theater. Operators cannot pay rent for months and closes.
Obviously there is no test for blight.
Sylvia Falcon
El Cerrito