CP&DR

Cities Close Door--After Dot-Com Revolution

Mar 1, 2001

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 16 No. 03 Mar 2001

Cities on the Bay Area's Peninsula are moving ahead with restrictions on office development even though the market that spurred the enormous demand for offices appears to have turned.

Tax Increment Loan Brings Bloomingdale's to San Francisco

Nov 1, 2000

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 11 Nov 2000

The largest Bloomingdale's department store outside of New York City is coming to San Francisco thanks to a $27 million loan from the city to the developer. In approving the 1.6-million-square-foot redevelopment project, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors also backed an agreement that requires all retailers in the project except Bloomingdale's not to block labor union organizing. The five-story, 375,000-square-foot Bloomingdale's will anchor the retail, hotel and office project...

Los Angeles Industrial Development Moves East

Sep 1, 2000

Economic Development, Los Angeles, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 09 Sep 2000

Demand for industrial space in Los Angeles County remains high, but development is not keeping pace. Instead, large-scale industrial projects are going to the Inland Empire, where empty land is plentiful and most local governments have open arms. The trend is distressing to the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and some other business boosters, who note that Los Angeles County manufacturing employment has declined in recent years. The manufacturing segment now accounts for only about 13% of...

Cornfield project approved, but litigation is likely

Sep 1, 2000

CP&DR Staff, Economic Development, Vol. 15 No. 09 Sep 2000

A major industrial project in the City of Los Angeles has received approval from the city's new Central Area Planning Commission. However, opponents of the "Cornfield" development next to Chinatown have vowed to continue fighting with a variety of legal and political tools. (See CP&DR Economic Development, January 2000) The commission voted 4-2 in late July to approve Majestic Reality's plans for a 950,000-square-foot industrial and warehouse development on 32 acres of the 47-acre Cornfield. The commi...

San Diego Cargo Airport Plan Hits Local Turbulence

Jul 1, 2000

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 07 Jul 2000

A proposed $500 million cargo airport southeast of San Diego could bolster the area's manufacturing sector, but opposition to the airport is growing. With passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the economic expansion of the late 1990s, the San Diego-Tijuana metropolitan area has become a major manufacturing hub. Factories on either side of the border turn out clothes, televisions, appliances, parts and other items. However, distributing the products to markets, or to final ass...

Regional Malls, Big Boxes Flood Sacramento Retail Market

May 1, 2000

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 05 May 2000

There is no doubt that the Sacramento metropolitan area is awash in retail shopping development, but whether or not the region is facing an excess of retail stores is subject to debate. The question arises while a 1.1-million-square-foot regional mall prepares to open in Roseville this summer, and regional malls of similar size are proposed in Folsom and Elk Grove. Plus, the City of Sacramento continues to consider large-scale downtown retail development. In three recent studies performed fo...

Lancaster, Palmdale Approve Truce in Retail Dispute

Mar 1, 2000

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 03 Mar 2000

The cities of Lancaster and Palmdale have agreed to bury the hatchet — and, for once, not in the other jurisdiction's back. Early this year, both city councils adopted "anti-piracy" resolutions in which they pledged not to offer incentives to businesses located inside the other's borders. For years, the two cities have engaged in classic battles over retail businesses. But some recent changes on the Palmdale City Council and the business community's leadership appear responsible for the removal ...

Brownfields Reuse Is Not Always Black and White

Jan 1, 2000

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 15 No. 01 Jan 2000

About 1,000 industrial and warehouse jobs would return to downtown Los Angeles if a project proposed next to Chinatown moves forward. However, environmentalists and some neighborhood advocates are fighting the project because they say the area already has enough warehouses. Developer Ed Roski Jr., who recently helped bring the Staples Center to downtown, proposes building a $60 million, 950,000-square-foot warehouse and industrial center called River Station. Roski's firm, Majestic Realty,...

Disney goes to Glendale

Jan 1, 2000

CP&DR Staff, Economic Development, Vol. 15 No. 01 Jan 2000

Less than 10 miles north of the Cornfield, Walt Disney Co. has proposed a large "creative campus" on the grounds of the former Grand Central Air Terminal, a Glendale airport that closed in 1959. Disney's plans are sketchy, but the entertainment giant has revealed plans for four district projects on the site: a 52-acre campus to house the theme park research and development operations; a 24-acre soundstage and production facility; a 27-acre media and technology campus that would have space available for ...

Fremont Project Meets Demand For High-Tech Business Space

Nov 1, 1999

Economic Development, Paul Shigley, Vol. 14 No. 11 Nov 1999

Although it may not receive as much attention as high-tech powerhouses such as San Jose, Santa Clara and Mountain View, Fremont has attracted numerous small and medium-sized technology companies in recent years. Now, Fremont — in southern Alameda County about 12 miles north of downtown San Jose — is poised to become an even bigger player. Catellus Development Corporation has received nearly all the government approvals necessary for 8.25 million square feet of commercial developm...

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