HomeMy WebLinkAboutJANUARY 19,1971_3
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FOLLOWING IS A TRANSCRIPT OF THE TAPE RECORDED STATEMENT OF
COUNCILMAN ROBERT J. CONSIDINE
FASHION PARK
JANUARY 19, 1971
"A great deal has already been said; I would like to add my sincere thanks to
the citizens of Arcadia who have taken the time to submit letters and to appear
before us. I regret that I have been unable to answer those letters because of
the numbers and quantity. However, they were all read, were all considered and
it is gratifying to know that there is this much interest in community activity.
I think that I, like Councilman Helms, has made a particular point of talking
with as many people in the community as I could and I have found again that there
is a preponderance of people who are for rather than opposed. I think every man
on this Council is dedicated to maintaining Arcadia as a City of peautiful homes.
We are very concerned about the goals of Arcadia in this area. We are concerned
about smog, noise, crime. We are trying to keep this as a very quiet residential
community if you will, but by the same token we'liaw\certain other financial con-
siderations that must also be considered.
"Looking down the long pull that I have been attempting to do for the past seven
years I have watched the budget grow, I have watched the cost of government go up
7~ percent a year. I have seen the threat since 1967 of regional government and
regional problems. We have only to look to the San Francisco Bay area to see the
actual imposition of regional governments for single purpose applications but
with taxing rights, occur at the ~ate of nine different units. With these things
in mind we know that our tax burdens are going to be constantly increasing.
Therefore, we are anxious to take any reasonable and correct action to offset
that burden on our residents. We know the traffic is going to be a tremendous
problem. We are hopeful that our traffic engineers will find solutions to this
problem. It would appear to be something that, like most problems of this nature
have a solution. That it will be a good one, an acceptable one, is yet to be
determined. We do know that if Fashion Park develops it will produce approxi-
mately a million dollars income plus or minus 10 or 15 percent based upon which
financial experts you wish to accept. But, even if you take it away and you
start talking even as low as $750,000 with one cent equaling $11,000 income for
the City',';'. and it takes quite a few pennies in the tax rate to achieve that sum.
"We know the center will create jobs - hopefully jobs for the people within our
community. Being a member of the Aerospace Industry I am particularly sensitive
in the job area. I think we have to do things now to create jobs, For seven
years on the Council we have been trying to do things to stimulate our downtown
business sector, partially with the thought of creating jobs and creating income.
Hopefully if Fashion Park is put together on a proper basis, in a proper light,
it will stimulate growth in the other sectors of our community rather than decline.
I think most of the experts have counseled us that we can anticipate a reduction
of income bearing some 12 to 25 percent for the first year or two, after which
they have indicated a growth should begin to return and it is possible we might
even find the various business communities strengthened. It would certainly be
my hop~ that a quality center here would help strengthen the business in the down
town areas and along the Hub areas mainly because of the people feeling that if
an interprise would put this many millions of dollars into a development it must
be a worthwhile position in which to do business. We have been accused repeatedly
of keeping businesses out and directing business away and I don't feel that this
has been our intent. I think our intent is to bring business in on a quality
basis and a compa~ible basis. Our experts have told us that a business of this
type will not affect the life style of the City or affect our pattern as a com-
munity of homes. I think this has been pretty well accepted by most of the plan-
ming experts that spoke to us. We certainly are very concerned about business
lots of existing merchants during the first one or two years after the creation
of Fashion Park, however, we feel that in the long pull they will actually
prosper as figures for other centers have shown.
ROBERT J. CONSIDINE 1-19-71
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"It is for reasons of this nature that I would like to put in a reserved vote for
Fashion Park and I say reserved because I feel that should this be agreed upon by
the total consensus, it must be done in a very carefully restricted,area. Our
zoning must be complete and conclusive so that this does not go beyond proportions
for which we wish it to occur within our City, It must be completed exactly to the
specifications and quality level which has been presented to us. I would hate to
think that it would get part way up and stop and not be completed or that it would
be part way up and not contain the high quality fashion stores that have been
promised to us. I feel that with appropriate controls this sort of guarantee,
with the cooperation, of course, of Santa Anita, could be brought about. And
this has been the consensus the residents have brought to me and I am inclined
to vote in this manner.lT
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ROBERT J. CONSIDINE 1-19-71
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