Legal Moves Studied to Speed E-Street Plan

To speed up negotiations for property in the so-called E-Street District, a proposed development site at Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue, city officials are considering legal action to acquire 18 acres of privately owned land needed for the project.

The City Council tonight will consider an eminent domain filing for the property, the next step in acquiring Oasis Mobile Home Park and several commercial properties, officials said.

Under eminent domain, government agencies may legally take over property when private owners resist selling. Judges rule on the value of the property if negotiations between landowners and the government fail.

The city has been working with the mobile home park, its residents, tenants of the commercial properties and business owners to acquire the property and relocate the businesses. Offers have been made to all of the mobile home park’s 117 coach owners, and 40 have moved since the offers went out 90 days ago.

City Manager George Tindall said that exercising the power of eminent domain would be a way to encourage the various parties to negotiate with the city.

“We have lenders, operators, trusts and tenants,” Tindall said. “This is to get everyone to the table in an expeditious manner.”

The city has a deadline of July 1 to assemble the property for a retail and entertainment project. Major tenants would include a 16- to 20-screen cinema complex.

Patterned after Costa Mesa’s Triangle Square, the project would have a variety of restaurants and retail shops.

The council will meet at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Meeting Center, 11300 Stanford Ave. Information: (714) 741-5100.