Pomona : Auto Mall Gets New Tenant

J. Warren Hershey, who negotiated an agreement with the city Redevelopment Agency last year to open a Jeep-Eagle franchise in the Pomona Auto Center, has now agreed to move his Dodge dealership there as well.

The City Council last week approved an agreement to sell six acres in the auto center to Hershey’s Pomona Dodge, now located in Montclair, for $739,542, plus additional money if the dealership fails to generate sufficient sales tax revenue. In return, Pomona Dodge will receive up to $1 million from the agency for grading and construction.

City Administrator Julio Fuentes said the dealership is expected to generate $225,000 to $250,000 annually in sales tax revenue, enabling the city to recover its investment in four to five years.

Pomona Dodge and Pomona Valley Jeep-Eagle are to begin construction in June and open by next March. The city last August signed an agreement to sell 3.3 acres to the Jeep-Eagle dealership.