SITE INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE

Home Browse Search

STOCKTON: Mayor says fire house part of revitalized Airport Way CONTINUED FROM PAGE Al a city government presence, Redevelopment Director Steve Pinkerton said. City Manager Gordon Palmer said, "We're trying to upgrade the neighborhood." He said $2.75 million is "an OK price." Pinkerton declined to release the city's appraisal of the prop- erty or to disclose the appraised value. The state's public records law allows cities to withhold such information. Palmer said he believed the appraised value is "probably closer to ($2 million), maybe even above that." Pinkerton and Palmer said it is not uncommon for a purchase price to exceed appraised value. The Redevelopment Com- mission's Carl Brooking said, "To be honest with you, the commission felt that the price was rather generous," but that the benefit of acquiring the property justified the cost. "The work that's being done on Air- port Way is changing the area," he said. The city has recently assem- bled land near White's holdings on Airport Way, and it is not Land deal Stockton officials are considering paying $2.75 million for about 2.85 acres of south Stockton land owned by former City Councilman Ralph Lee White. STOCKTON 41 ripos a Sarr Jrrru/rrrn Ra' C'r urth' v.` Nrriryrollnds Site of land city wants to buy RICK HUDOCK/The Record unusual for the city's redevelop- ment arm to purchase proper- ties for development. Councilwoman Susan Egg - man said, "My understanding is that it is appraised at about $2 million." She said she would not vote to pay more than the appraised value. "I think this city has made enough bad deals financially," she said. Lee, who is also a candidate CALIXTRO ROMIAS/The Record Ralph Lee White's property on the southeast corner of Eighth Street and Airport Way in south Stockton.• for mayor, said there are bet- ter, less expensive places to put a fire station and that "that's a hell of a lot of money for a property that has been almost defiantly allowed to deteriorate." If approved, the property's acquisition would be funded by Chavez's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, a $116 million public borrowing measure to pay for parks, neighborhood centers, road work and other infrastruc- ture across Stockton. Chavez said he believed the original asking price was "a lot more" than $2.75 million. He said, "As Airport Way is being beautified, revitalized, I think the fire house is going to be an impor- tant component of doing that." Pinkerton said the deal has 40 0 been delayed by a concern about polluted soil, an issue that must be resolved before the council considers purchasing the land. White said the deal is more than fair to the city. He said developers he declined to name have offered as much as $500,000 more than the city has for the property. He said he wants to sell the land to Stock- ton because the city's develop- ment of it could do south Stock- ton good. "That's going to be a benefit for all of Airport Way," he said. And for being part of that, he said, "Later on, I can get brag- ging rights." Contact reporter David Siders at (209) 943-8580 or dsiders@recordnet.com. Visit his blog at recordnet.com/blogs.