Ideas are squarely inside the box

ERIC BEVER

I am pleased to see that my council comments regarding Triangle

Square have resulted in further discussion of this important issue.

Even though thorny problems sometimes require thinking outside of the

box, as a problem solver I am always willing to investigate positive

solutions regardless of the appearance to those who are uninformed.

Contrary to the story as told by the Pilot, the center did very

well for a number of years under the original ownership. The current

problems may be related to the fact that the present owner is outside

of the United States and seems to have little interest in filling the

center or seeing it succeed. Sure, there are other functional issues,

but they are secondary.

Ultimately, the city has very little in the way of power or tools

to change things at Triangle Square if the owner is unwilling to

initiate an effort. From what I understand, it appears that the owner

has discouraged past, current and potential tenants. I also

understand that there are folks willing to buy the center and run it

more effectively.

I believe that eminent domain is a tool of last resort; however, I

suggested that the Redevelopment Agency investigate the possibility

of using this tool to facilitate a change of ownership at Triangle

Square based upon the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision, which

stated that the economic benefit to the public met the requirement of

“public good.”

Based on the court’s interpretation, having the center run at full

capacity could be described as being for the “public good,” as a

properly functioning center could result in a 300% to 400% net

increase of sales tax revenue to the city. That’s a potential

increase of $500,000 to $750,000 annually, in addition to the

inherent benefits the center would provide our community.

It should be noted that a friendly condemnation would provide the

owner with tax advantages, which might make selling to a motivated

operator more likely. Now, that’s not so far outside the box, is it?

Whether this approach is adopted, the saber has been rattled, and

the owner has been put on notice that this City Councilman really

does care and is interested in finding solutions.

* ERIC BEVER is a Costa Mesa City Councilman.