Santa Fe Springs : Auto Dealer Buys 3 Acres

Auto dealer Carmen Koosa has purchased three acres from the city to build a dealership for a new line of cars affiliated with the Nissan Corp.

Koosa, owner of Nissan of Downey, has been negotiating to move his business to Santa Fe Springs’ new auto mall on Rosecrans Avenue south of the Santa Ana Freeway. The city has offered Koosa 6.2 acres of essentially free land, where he planned to consolidate his Cypress and Downey Nissan dealerships. As part of the deal, Koosa would have the option to buy another three acres for the Infiniti dealership.

However, the move to Santa Fe Springs has been delayed because of complaints by two other Nissan dealers who say Koosa’s new dealership would be too close to the competing Nissan outlets. The matter has been appealed to the state New Motor Vehicles Board and a decision is expected in September.

Meanwhile, Koosa was anxious to start construction on the Infiniti dealership and bought three acres for $1 million, Santa Fe Springs Planning Director Robert Orpin said. The city subsidized the purchase, with the land’s actual value being $1.38 million, he said.

Construction is scheduled to begin in January for the Infiniti dealership, which will offer a line of upscale cars intended to compete with Honda’s Acura automobiles.