Alhambra : Main St. Renewal Foes to Appeal Court’s Rule

Taxpayers who have challenged Alhambra’s redevelopment plan for Main Street have filed notice that they will appeal a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling upholding the plan. But the county, which also fought the plan in court, is ending its legal action, said Tighe F. Hudson, senior deputy county counsel.

Judge Lester Olson ruled in September that the city had acted properly in adding 211 acres along Main Street to an existing industrial redevelopment project. The plan could channel as much as $50 million over 45 years to the redevelopment agency for Main Street improvements, including steps to upgrade and expand auto dealerships.

The judge’s decision came after a trial that consolidated a suit filed by the county with a suit by tax crusader Richard Carman, ice cream store owner Jim Fosselman and retired businessman Houston Myers.

Attorney Jeff Daar, who represents Carman, Fosselman and Myers, said the issues to be raised on appeal have not been defined. During the trial, Daar argued that the city had failed to demonstrate that Main Street was blighted, a requirement for redevelopment.