Fillmore Firms in Temporary Quarters to Pay Rent
Merchants doing business in temporary quarters erected in Fillmore after the Jan. 17 earthquake will be charged rent beginning in November, the Fillmore City Council has decided.
The city agreed in the weeks after the earthquake to absorb the cost of leasing the space while businesses rebounded from the setback.
The new monthly rental charges will be assessed at 30 cents per square foot of business space in two portable tents constructed downtown when the earthquake devastated a good portion of the city.
The rental fee, which includes utilities, is still lower than the average rent of 40 cents to $1 per square foot paid by Central Avenue merchants before the quake, council members said.
And the executive director of the Fillmore Chamber of Commerce isn’t complaining.
“When it includes all utilities, it seems extremely fair,” said Hank Carrillo. “I have only 200 square feet here, so I have no problem with it.”
The city leased almost 10,000 square feet of modular tents to help stores affected by the earthquake stay in business while the downtown is rebuilt. Nineteen businesses and organizations are using the space on Central Avenue in downtown Fillmore.
The rent agreement begins Nov. 1 and runs month-to-month until the businesses can move to permanent quarters.
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