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VISTA: City moves toward revitalization
Vista may add 1,700 acres to redevelopment area
By CRAIG TENBROECK - Staff Writer | ∞
The Vons shopping center at Escondido and Santa Fe Avenues in Vista is one of many properties that would be designated for redevelopment under an expansion plan that will go before the City Council on Tuesday. (Photo by Waldo Nilo - staff photographer) 
Vacant storefronts are seen at the Vons shopping center at Vista's Escondido and Santa Fe Avenues in Vista. The center is one of many properties that would be designated for redevelopment under an expansion plan that will go before the City Council on Tuesday. (Photo by Waldo Nilo - staff photographer) VISTA ---- Every day, thousands of motorists pass a shopping center on Escondido Avenue. Yet the area, speckled with vacant storefronts, is hardly booming.
Blocks away, in the hardscrabble barrio of Townsite, homes and streets are showing the chips and fissures of age.
As an antidote for this urban decay, city staffers have drafted an aggressive plan to nearly double the size of Vista's redevelopment territory.
That would open new avenues for stimulating development along stagnating corridors and repairing the infrastructure in deteriorating neighborhoods, officials say.
Staffers floated the idea nearly one year ago, and public reactions have run the gamut.
Some have embraced the idea; they envision glossy new projects akin to the Vista Village shopping center downtown or the city's business park.
But others have bristled at the prospect their land would be declared "blighted" ---- a legal term required for redevelopment.
In July, an advisory committee of business owners, homeowners, tenants and community groups endorsed the plan, setting the stage for Tuesday's City Council vote.
A public hearing is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 600 Eucalyptus Ave.
A larger umbrella
Vista already has 2,100 acres, predominantly along commercial corridors, designated for redevelopment. The expansion would add another 1,700, including the Townsite neighborhood; a wide swath between South Santa Fe Avenue and Highway 78, east of Escondido Avenue; the Vista Way corridor; and a pocket south of Highway 78 near Sycamore Avenue.
It's a complicated plan, and some fear the city hasn't put all their cards on the table.
"It's all very vague and I don't want to take the gamble," said Betty Gilroy, an artist whose family has lived in the hills off South Santa Fe since 1990.
Months ago, Gilroy's home was part of the expansion area, but the city later excised it from the proposal.
Redevelopment Director Bill Rawlings said the neighborhood wasn't run-down enough to qualify for redevelopment. But Gilroy attributes the city's change of course to her neighborhood's complaints.
"We made a fuss," she said last month. "And we were relentless about it."
Not all community members share Gilroy's distrust.
At a recent City Council meeting, resident Lenny Comma, a vice president at Jack in the Box restaurants, encouraged the city to follow through with its expansion plan.
"You can make this city very attractive to the private sector ---- which is already looking for places to grow, develop and invest their capital," he said.
Council members beamed.
The money game
A complex and controversial tool, redevelopment gives cities the power to retain money as property values increase in struggling neighborhoods.
Typically, cities issue bonds against those revenues to give developers incentives.
Years ago, Vista used redevelopment to turn its aging downtown core into the Vista Village shopping and entertainment center.
That made resident Brett MacFarlane a redevelopment fan.
"What a huge difference," MacFarlane said during a recent city meeting.
"My kids go down there. Friends go down there. If anything like that can come out of this new redevelopment for other parts of Vista, you've got to do it," he told the council.
But as an economic tool, redevelopment has its detractors.
Some say it drives out small businesses in favor of big retailers. Others claim it steers much needed tax revenue away from other agencies.
Property tax is ordinarily shared among cities, county governments and other taxing entities. But once an area is designated as blighted, the city's redevelopment arm captures the bulk of the "tax increment" ---- the increase in property tax revenue after the base year.
Vista projects it will net $352 million in tax-increment receipts from the expansion area over 30 years.
"When redevelopment clicks on we stop getting the benefit of any growth in assessed value," said Kaye Hobson, finance director for the county's community services group.
The county routinely eyes local cities' redevelopment plans. And sometimes, it takes action, such as three years ago, when it sued the city of San Diego over property tax losses due to redevelopment.
In an interview last month, Hobson said the county had not yet drawn any conclusions about Vista's plan.
"We have to evaluate it very carefully and weigh the benefits of redevelopment to the loss to the county," she said.
She did not return calls last week.
Soothing nerves
City staffers have had a tough challenge this year addressing fears of eminent domain ---- the power of government to take private property in redevelopment areas at fair market price.
They have offered repeated assurances to nervous residents that the city won't invoke eminent domain for residentially zoned properties.
Yet those words have provided little solace to Jerome Hymes, a central Vista resident whose home is in a commercially zoned area.
The city estimates there are a few dozen such homes in the city.
Though Hymes, who sits on the advisory committee, was part of the July vote in favor the expansion plan, he backtracked last week, saying that he wasn't aware that vote was final.
He said he's still afraid the city will take his home, despite the recent passage of state Proposition 99, which prohibits governments from forcing the sale of owner-occupied homes for private projects.
"There are so many loopholes in Prop. 99 and I'm concerned about that," Hymes said.
Rawlings said homeowners need simply look to history to predict the future.
"The city has never used eminent domain to condemn anyone's home," he said. "In fact, we've never used it at all."
Contact staff writer Craig TenBroeck at (760) 901-4062 or ctenbroeck@nctimes.com.
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Dude wrote on Sep 20, 2008 5:58 PM:This is something that really needs to be done. Market forces alone are not going to give the City of Vista the types of projects that the citizens deserve. The city also has to make sure that the staff of the Redevelopment Agency know what they are doing.
Great for Vista wrote on Sep 21, 2008 9:51 AM:The city needs this. Driving through Vista every day I see many sites with great potential just rotting on the side of the road. Hopefully this will help bring in the stores and create a better place to live.
Vista native wrote on Sep 21, 2008 11:11 AM:I have a better idea. Lets spend hundreds of millions on a new City Hall and fire stations for our "hardworking" City Employees. That will really help the community change its character and business environment. There is a reason Vista is the armpit of North County, it’s called poor leadership decisions.
City hall is a dump wrote on Sep 21, 2008 11:53 AM:Vista city hall is a dump and it is time for something better. I don't like going there because of how inefficient the layout is and how rundown it is. That is why I voted for a new city hall. As for the fire stations I took my kids to see the station off Melrose and there a HOLES in the ceiling and walls. I was so embarrassed when my kid asked one of the firemen why their "house was broken so much.” I voted for these improvements because I couldn’t stand looking at a bunch of run-down buildings as I drove around town.
Dana wrote on Sep 21, 2008 12:05 PM:Vista Village is boring and a driving nightmare. I hate going to Frazier Farms because of the traffic and parking. The old Boney's on East Vista Way was more convenient. If you drive a couple miles in any direction you can find the same stores, or same types of stores that are in Vista Village. Why not something really different instead of the same old thing? I've heard that that the city has bought the Vista Grande restaurant location at Main and South Santa Fe and a Sonic Burger will replace it. That is sad-they have the best Mexican food in Vista. Does anyone remember when San Marcos was considered the "armpit" of this area? Look at them now. What is wrong with Vista's leadership?
Vista Resident wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:19 PM:It's time for Vista to stop tearing off the Band-Aid slowly and just tear it off and get going. This city needs to reinvent itself and do so quickly. I don't disagree with others that the leadership needs to change. The "Shadowridge" mentality needs to change as there is a whole city to lead and not just a small community within the whole.
In terms of the Sonic, I hope that the city isn't making the same mistake that Chula Visa made in the early 90's. Sonic came in and was out 6 months later. The facility stood vacant for three years until it was finally torn down.
The bad part about our city is that they've let everything run down so bad that it's going to take a significant amount of funding to get the infrastructure upgraded and then they still need to attract developers. This city should take steps to promote the regional business community by doing the things that O'Side has failed to do -- namely, create a event and conference destination.
San Marcos Harley wrote on Sep 21, 2008 1:54 PM:Yeah thats right, I would love to go to a conference in Vista..... Which one should I attend the bloods or crips convention? ....Haaaa Haaaa Haaaa
Keith wrote on Sep 21, 2008 8:40 PM:Go spend a few days in LA and all of you angry depressed people will come crawling back to Vista.
To Keith wrote on Sep 21, 2008 9:21 PM:I agree! I love Vista. It has it's ups and downs just like any other City but I see a great change.
Hey Dana wrote on Sep 22, 2008 5:10 AM:You're right about Vista Village. Getting in and out stinks! And these clowns want to do more "improvements!" Have you noticed that in all of "Vista Village" there's not one mailbox? So if I want to shop and maybe slip a few bills into the mail, I need to get back into the car, drive over to the post office while spewing more junk into the air? Is this Mayor Vance's vision for Vista?
Ralphie wrote on Sep 22, 2008 5:47 AM:It's soooo appropriate that you've included a photo of the Vons center with this story. Want to improve that area in a big hurry? CLEAR OUT all those illegals hanging out at Vons! I went there in my pickup, and one of those criminals shouted out "How many?" Ridding the city of ILLEGAL aliens and gangbangers would do soooo much more to improve our town and our lives than any hare-brained scheme from the Mayor and his redevelopment staff. Dr. Rawlings has NO coherent plan!! Just take a look!
To Add to Dana wrote on Sep 22, 2008 9:51 AM:The Vista Village was a great idea but was short sighted. Didn't anyone in planning think is was going to be successful? If so, then why isn't there a parking structure? That area has to be the worst place to park in Vista. There are many times our family wanted to go eat at one of the restaurants but could not find parking. Instead, we now drive over to San Marcos. They have a better variety of restaurants and an abundance of parking.
And Another Thing wrote on Sep 22, 2008 9:55 AM:Redevelopment isn't going to accomplish anything if they only attract lower end consumers. Get rid of all the 99cent stores that don't attract the big spenders. How many of these types of stores do you see in the Carlsbad Village? It would be great to have a restaurant, bar, entertainment district in old downtown Vista in addition to Hennesseys.
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