Just the Right Jolt
Mr. Malsin needed a shocker, an icebreaker. And he found one. He proposed a re-signing condition that he regarded as a coup if Urban Partners would give its consent. He told Dan Rosenfeld of U. Partners that the developer stood a much better chance of being renewed if it would agree to a partnership with the city. If U. Partners would shoulder a substantial portion of the responsibility for obtaining the $30 million in funding needed to build the permanent light rail station, Mr. Malsin said the contract renewal chances would zoom from questionable to excellent. Mr. Rosenfeld said yes. Still not finished, Mr. Malsin further proposed that Urban Partners forward $148,000 to City Hall to cover the cost of hiring an architecture team to design the project. Mr. Rosenfeld said yes. A few days later, the City Council said yes to Mr. Rosenfelds company. A rosy glow came over Mr. Malsin who is now predicting that Culver City now is going to the light rail World Series. The reward for U.Partners is that it will capture the plum prize of building the permanent station as long as it fulfills the part that says it will find the funding.
