Grantville Settlement

From Changesandiego

1 Problems with Grantville Redevelopment

[edit] Problems with Grantville Redevelopment

[edit] The Community is Not Blighted

To create a redevelopment project area, the City must find that the area is blighted. The physical and economic conditions of the community must be so bad that redevelopment is the only way out. This is obviously not the case in Grantville. Grantville is an older, but vigorous community of light industrial, service, and retail businesses.

Watch Voice of San Diego's YouTube examination of this blight finding:

[edit] Eminent Domain Abuse

In redevelopment areas the Government may use eminent domain to take a property from one individual and transfer ownership to another individual just for an economic benefit. In the case of Grantville, it is property tax that the Redevelopment Agency seeks. In many cases, sales tax is the lure. The Government will use eminent domain to take a business property and transfer ownership to another business, because they believe it will generate more sales tax.

[edit] Grantville is not an “Urban Village”

The Grantville redevelopment plans that are currently on the table call for transforming this business community into a high-density, mixed-use community--an “Urban Village.” The plans would replace businesses with condos and apartments, adding 12,000 to 30,000 residents to Grantville. Planners envision people seldom leaving the neighborhood, walking or riding their bikes to shop or work, and if they must go elsewhere, they will use mass transit. This, of course, ignores reality and human nature.

[edit] Traffic is not the Problem; but with Redevelopment it will be

The Grantville redevelopment plans currently on the table call for rerouting eastbound traffic from I-8 down Fairmount Ave. and away from Mission Gorge Rd., but the plans do not add more lanes of traffic or more roads into, or out of, Grantville. If Grantville has 30,000 new residents, will they only travel by trolley? What Grantville really needs, and it needs now, is more east/west arterial roadways.

[edit] The Tax Increment Scam

In accordance with State law, redevelopment project areas collect “tax increment.” As of May 2005, the City retained 15% of the property tax in Grantville. This dollar amount was established as baseline. The City will continue to retain just this amount for the 45-year duration of the project. As properties are sold, or new buildings built, the property tax rolls will increase. This increase is the “tax increment.” The Redevelopment Agency will retain about 67% of this to promote further redevelopment. Unfortunately for the City, it will still only retain the property tax amount of May 2005. It is the City that must pay for the necessary services for all the new residents.

[edit] Poor Quality of Life

The current residents of Grantville, Allied Gardens, and neighboring communities know that adding 12,000 to 30,000 new residents in high-density housing will destroy their quality of life. Traffic will be a nightmare. Their new view will be four-story condos or apartments along Mission Gorge Rd. Many of the businesses they now frequent will have been bulldozed by eminent domain to make way for high-density housing. Many San Diegans recognize that Grantville redevelopment will harm their quality of life too. With the tax increment scam diverting dollars away from City coffers, into the Redevelopment Agency account, the City will have even more trouble providing everyone services, such as police, fire, parks and recreation, or even fixing potholes.

[edit] Fixing the Problems

The Grantville Action Group (GAG) is about fixing problems. GAG is committed to stopping redevelopment abuse, relieving traffic congestion, improving the quality of life of Grantville residents and all San Diegans.

See how we are taking ACTION right now: