Church in Arcadia will move to land formerly occupied by the city's mounted police at 630 E. Live Oak Avenue. Church in Arcadia is currently at 21 Morlan Place, the former site of Arc Bowl and Arcadia Bowling, which closed in the late 1970s. This deal was done to try to keep neighbor Rusnak Mercedes Benz, the city's largest sales tax generator, from moving to another city.
The City of Arcadia has finalized a deal with the Church of Arcadia so the church can move forward with its expansion. The city will pay the church $3.6 million and give it a 1.2 acre property at 630 E. Live Oak Avenue, in exchange for the church property at 21 Morlan Place. The church plans to build a two-story, 23,000 square feet church and meeting hall on the Live Oak Avenue lot. The Morlan Place property is near Rusnak Mercedes Benz.
Construction on new Rusnak Mercedes Benz showroom is fully underway in Arcadia. Its current location at 55 W. Huntington Drive will be expanded. Additions will include a 22,500 square feet, 2-story structure in the 100 block of Santa Anita Avenue, to include 78,000 square feet for vehicle service and repairs, storage and parking.
A proposed land deal will allow Rusnak Mercedes-Benz dealership to expand and Rod's Grill will not have to move. The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency has acquired the Dahlgren lot on Santa Clara Street, the last parcel of a 2-acre site it intends to sell to Rusnak. This sale would enable Rusnak to expand from 4 to 6 acres. A public hearing is scheduled for April 19. In addition to the recently acquired Dahlgren property, the current proposed site also includes the former Church of Arcadia on Morlan Place and a commercial strip along Santa Anita Avenue that contains 16 tenants. The proposed deal guarantees the city would receive at least $800,000 in sales tax a year for the next 10 years.
The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency adopted a resolution approving the land acquisition and development agreement to help Paul Rusnak buy five sites for his Mercedes Benz dealership expansion. The Arcadia Elks Lodge doesn't want to move.
The expansion of Rusnak Mercedes-Benz, Arcadia's largest sales tax generator, still faces hurdles. The Church of Arcadia has agreed to move from 21 Morlan Place, but it has encountered delays with the county's plan checks. The City of Arcadia still needs to acquire Rod's Grill at 41 W. Huntington Drive, but proprietor Manny Romero has not accepted any of the city's numerous offers. Tom Valasek, director of marketing at Rusnak Auto Group says the dealership will have to move if the city cannot deliver the land for the expansion plan.
Measure B was approved by voters yesterday. This will allow Rusnak Mercedes Benz to move ahead with expansion plans. The City of Arcadia will not be able to use eminent domain as a tool for redevelopment for private use.
The city has taken its first step toward condemning part of a desirable downtown block to make way for the expansion of the Rusnak Mercedes Benz. The City Council voted unanimously to move forward with eminent domain proceedings against Arcadia Self Storage, a four-story building on Huntington Drive just west of Santa Anita Avenue. This building is one of five under threat of condemnation.
Arcadia's largest individual sales tax producer, Rusnak Mercedes Benz, announced it wants to move out of Arcadia. It would mean an estimated loss of $800,000 to the City. Having faced expansion roadblocks, Rusnak says the City hasn't been able to deliver the acreage and properties as promised. The announcement came as a shock to City Manager Bill Kelly who knew nothing about it.
Rusnak Mercedes-Benz has moved from Pasadena to the old Foulger Ford property at 55 W. Huntington Drive in Arcadia. A photo shows city officials and top business people at the ribbon cutting on the site.
Arcadia City Council approves Rusnak Mercedes-Benz land sale. The automobile dealership plans $10 million in new construction on its six acres. It will include a new 25,000 s.f. showroom on Santa Anita Avenue.
City Council quietly dropped eminent domain action against Rod's Grill. The city is working with the Church in Arcadia and Elks Lodge to buy their properties so that Rusnak Mercedes Benz might expand its business.
The Arcadia City Council approved the design for a proposed addition to the new car showroom at Rusnak Mercedes-Benz. The dealer wants to build a two-story, 2644 square feet addition to the southeast corner of the showroom. The City council approved additions to other businesses as well.
The City of Arcadia has acquired half of the land originally promised for Rusnak's Mercedes Benz expansion. Arcadia Self-Storage and Church in Arcadia are selling to the city but the Elks Lodge and Rod's Grill refused to sell. The city expects Rusnak to produce a minimum of $700,000 each year in sales tax for 10 years, or until the loan is repaid.
Plans to expand Rusnak Mercedes-Benz in Arcadia should move ahead with Rusnak buying four commercial properties from the former Arcadia Redevelopment Agency. Arcadia became the first city earlier this month to have its long-range property management plan approved by the state Department of Finance--something required of former redevelopment or "successor agencies" to dispose of their properties.
Victoria Rusnak to accept Business of the Year award on behalf of Rusnak Arcadia Mercedes-Benz at the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce 2014 Annual Business Awards on July 17.
The Arcadia Redevelopment Agency is apparently making some progress in a project to improve the area around the Rusnak Mercedes-Benz dealership. The project, known as the Morlan Place Center, has been the topic of closed-door discussions with property owners around the Huntington Drive site. The city has extended offers to at least two property owners to move to 620 E. Live Oak, so that Morlan Place Center can be developed.
Arcadia slowly steers Rusnak Mercedes Benz dealership expansion back on track. Because of a December 2011 California Supreme Court decision to eliminate redevelopment agencies, the expansion has been stalled. Arcadia is now working on a long-range property management plan for the expansion--a plan that is now required for state approval before former redevelopment agency property may be sold. The plan includes properties at 121-159 North Santa Anita Avenue.
The City of Pasadena may seek lost sales tax revenue from Rusnak Mercedes-Benz, a business that relocated from Pasadena to Arcadia four years ago. Pasadena officials think Arcadia may have used the promise of an expansion loan as an enticement when Rusnak first considered leaving Pasadena. Arcadia officials deny it.