Politics & Government
Council Approves Review of 5-year Industrial Redevelopment
Affordable housing, improvements to infrastructure planned amid concerns about the future of redevelopment money.
The Fountain Valley City Council approved a state-mandated review Tuesday night of the city's five-year plan for Fountain Valley's industrial area redevelopment, which includes the Talbert Avenue bridge, water and sewer pipe improvements and two low-income housing projects
Amid concerns about Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed plan to eliminate redevelopment money statewide, City Planner Steve Ayers told the council that the California Redevelopment Association was working on alternative funding solutions, and that money for the housing projects was protected because it had been moved to the city's recently established housing authotity.
The council also unanimously approved a proposal to host and sponsor the inaugural Orange County Barbecue Bonanza, a food festival to be held in August at the Fountain Valley Recreation Center and Sports Park.
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The event will be modeled after Summerfest, the annual celebration of Fountain Valley's anniversary that has been held for the past three years, and will feature six large food trucks and offerings from local eateries as well as carnival rides, a beer and wine garden, and live entertainment. The city will partner with O Entertainment, which will front all of the money for the event. Revenues will be split evenly between O Entertainment and the city.
"This man has a way of turning dirt into gold," council member Larry Crandall said of O Entertainment President Roy Hassett. "They more ways we can hitch our wagon to his pulling train, the better."
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In other business, the council heard the latest act in the ongoing drama surrounding the athletic fields at Tamura Elementary, where area resident Tim McDonald has asked for use of Field 1 to be discontinued, and where another area resident said her house has been repeatedly shelled by baseballs being hit over Field 3's fence. McDonald appeared once again before the council to propose a compromise in which smaller children, presumably unable to clear the fence, would use Field 3, with Field 1 being use only as a last resort.
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