Yorba Linda : Business Park Chosen as Auto Center Site
Like other cities interested in increasing their sales tax revenues, Yorba Linda wants to add to its coffers by building an auto center. But the location city officials have chosen is a business park whose owner “never contemplated” car dealerships.
Although “there’s been some talk of eminent domain” in which the city could use its power to condemn part of the SAVI Ranch Associates park for use as an auto center, representatives of the business park and the city hope to reach an agreement in the next few weeks, said John Alstrom, vice president of Hillman Properties West of Newport Beach, which manages SAVI (Santa Ana Valley Irrigation) Ranch.
The city appropriated about $7 million in its 1985-86 budget for an auto center project, Yorba Linda Assistant City Manager Bruce Channing said, adding that an auto center could bring the city $1 million annually in sales tax revenue.
Channing said it would be premature to say whether the city would consider using its condemnation power should the landowner continue to reject the city’s proposal.
The 200-acre business park is designed to attract research and development industries, not retail outlets, Alstrom said.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
