Less than 24 hours after the Metro Board pumped fresh and dramatic hope — plus tens of millions of dollars into Culver City’s link to the Expo light rail line and to its projected elevated terminal — City Hall announced this morning that the last two property owners in the pathway of the planned light rail complex have gone away, reportedly financially satisfied.
The Final Two
Settlements have been reached by the city with small business owner Marc Chiat, the last entrepreneur left standing on Exposition Boulevard, and Les Surfas, owner of a sprawling enterprise at the intersection of Washington and National boulevards, according to Bruce Gridley, an attorney for the city.
“All cases (adjacent to the light rail complex, slated to open in 2010),” have been settled,” Mr. Gridley told the newspaper.
Coupled with the departure of The Jungle nursery a month ago, the latest settlements mean that planners for the light rail line and for the Culver City light rail commercial complex seem to have clear sailing to build where ever and whenever they want.
A Steady Disappearance
Over the past two years, the city has gradually eliminated all of the small entrepreneurs along the east side of block-long Exposition Boulevard.
Mr. Gridley pegged the Chiat settlement at “hundreds of thousands of dollars” and the Surfas denouement “in excess of $5 million.”
Although some final-minute paperwork remains to be signed in both cases, Mr. Gridley managed to conquer the resolve of Mr. Chiat and his attorney.
Amending a Pledge?
As recently as six months ago, both property owners were pledging to fight against — if not successfully fight off — City Hall until their last breaths.
Mr. Chiat and attorney Robert Silverstein had vowed to try and sustain their cause until next November’s election. Against apparently slender odds, they were hoping that a re-engineered version of last year’s solidly defeated eminent domain ballot measure would keep Mr. Chiat in his 1500-square foot building.
A Dispute Resolved
Last seen publicly, Mr. Surfas and city attorneys were in court battling over when the restaurant supply business owner would vacate his warehouse property at the northwest corner of Washington and National.
The originally agreed-upon deadline was five months ago, June 30.
“Finding a new date (a half year later) was not difficult for us to accommodate,” Mr. Gridley said. “Mr. Surfas indicated he will be moved out, and relocated over on Landmark Street, by Jan. 4.”
