Mr. Champion also was obligated to provide the city with a detailed financial prospectus for a rebuild that he first envisioned several years ago.
Mr. Champion told us that when he compared each (part of the) project, quantifying the costs was difficult, Mr. Tipton said. He needed more time.
So we gave him another week.
Not that the much-discussed South Sepulveda Boulevard redevelopment project has needed any fresh ammunition. It has been batted around like a beach ball that fast was losing air.
Months into a proposed plan for Mr. Champion to tear down 77 mostly mom-and-pop businesses and replace them with 12 and a half acres of fashionable housing and more upscale commerce, voluble opposition remains steadfast in the community.
This project differs from most other recent redevelopments involving the city because the engine pulling this sprawling proposal is Mr. Champions charismatic personality.
Developer companies traditionally have been faceless entities.
Residents have addressed them blandly as they or them rather than, more personally, directly fingering a single person.
Mr. Champions personality may yet turn out to be his most valuable asset in reversing the momentum of a wave of unpopularity.
Evaluation Time
The delay by Mr. Champion did not budge an eyebrow among the 4 voting members of the Redevelopment Agency.
Doesnt impress me one way or the other, Scott Malsin said this morning.
Deputy Steps up
Mr. Malsin, the Vice Chair of the Agency, will substitute for the Agency Chair Steve Rose during the portion of the meeting when South Sepulveda is discussed.
As a nearby property owner, Mr. Rose has been obliged to recuse himself on this matter.
I have no idea what (the missed deadline) means, said Agency member Carol Gross. This is the first I have heard about it.
Vice Mayor Alan Corlin responded with a shrug. I am not concerned, he said.
One Task Completed
In a related development, the 9 members of a Citizens Advisory Committee for South Sepulveda will be chosen by the Redevelopment Agency this evening. Forty-nine persons have applied for the openings.
Making Choices
The roster of residential/business applicants has been available for several weeks for Redevelopment Agency members to peruse and assess before revealing their selections.
Mr. Malsin said he hopes the chosen 9 will represent a balanced group, distributed between enthusiasts and skeptics or those with reservations.
