PACOIMA : Businessman Enlists Aid in Zoning Battle

You can’t fault Marvin Solomon for not trying.

The owner of a Pacoima electronics company who fought to rezone residential land for light industrial use four years ago said Thursday he will try again with more help from local activists.

Solomon, who built high-tech Soltec Corp. in the midst of urban blight near Foothill Boulevard, wants to build a nearly identical corporate center for distribution, sales and repair of electronics and other products. The land is located on the southeast corner of Vaughn Street and Foothill Boulevard.

Four years ago, Solomon fought the city to a compromise that effectively wrecked his plans. The city rezoned a portion of the land that fronts on Foothill back to a depth of about 200 feet. The rest, which stretches almost to Bromont Avenue, remains zoned for single-family residences.

Both sides of Foothill Boulevard already are zoned for light industrial use. But Solomon’s property runs deeper than the strip along the boulevard, and is surrounded on most of three sides by residential property.

Thursday night, Solomon met with Councilman Richard Alarcon and local activists to enlist help for a project he said would employ more than 100 people and provide a boost to service companies in the immediate area.

Ray Jackson, president of the Northeast Community Improvement Assn., said he will get petition signatures from nearby property owners. Most were in favor of the plan the last time around, he said.

Alarcon conditionally supported the project, cautioning that changing residential zoning in a district with a housing shortage will be tough. “The problem is we have a need for more residential areas,” Alarcon told the group. “I’m not going to sit down with the owner to do this unless the community tells me they want to do it.”

The 7th District councilman also insisted on benefits for the local area. “If we can get local contractors, the local jobs as part of the process, we could push it,” Alarcon said.

Despite the high-tech nature of Solomon’s company, he regularly uses local businesses to maintain and repair equipment and provide other services, he said. The same could be true for businesses that would locate in the new complex, he added.