Owners Offer to Clear Chatsworth Site to Reduce Courthouse Cost

The owners of a defunct power-tool manufacturing company, who want to sell the Chatsworth property to the county for a municipal courthouse site, have offered to demolish the vacant buildings to reduce the cost of a county purchase.

Stephen Farley, executive vice president of Allegretti and Co., said he submitted a proposal to county court administrators last week offering to absorb the cost of clearing several warehouses from the nine-acre parcel at 9200 Mason Ave. as part of the sales agreement.

In a letter to the county, Farley offered to sell the cleared land for $12 million to $14 million, a price he said was “very competitive.”

Farley said he has not received a response. A court spokeswoman confirmed Friday that the offer was received, but declined to comment on its status.

Court officials, who have entered into negotiations with a developer to purchase another Chatsworth site for the new West Valley municipal courthouse, earlier rejected the Allegretti property as too expensive.

However, Farley said Friday he believed the county overestimated the cost of demolishing the old buildings on his property.

In their initial reports, Farley said, county officials estimated that it would cost $2.8 million to clear the land. Farley said he obtained estimates from demolition firms stating the site could be cleared for about $280,000.

Last month, Farley complained that his land had not been given fair consideration before county officials decided to open negotiations with developer Alexander Haagen for a nine-acre parcel at Plummer Street and Winnetka Avenue.

The Plummer Street proposal has raised vehement protests from nearby homeowners who fear that the courthouse will generate traffic congestion and graffiti, increase crime and reduce property values.

In response to Farley’s complaint and to the growing pressure from homeowners to find an alternative site, County Supervisor Mike Antonovich requested that court officials reconsider the Allegretti site while continuing to negotiate with Haagen.