By Katrina Van Duzee/Garden Grove Journal
The stalled development of 79 condos and a four-story parking garage on Garden Grove Boulevard pressed forward Tuesday night when the city council voted unanimously to pass a resolution to enter into an agreement with its developer.
Sweet Homes Development, LLC acquired two parcels of land located at Garden Grove Boulevard, west of Dungan Street, in 2005 and have unsuccessfully been able to purchase a third and final property nearby to push forward the mixed-use project called Lili Garden Plaza. By entering into an agreement with the city Sweet Homes will allocate $525,000, the appraised fair market value for the property, to the community development agency so they can attempt to negotiate its sale.
“The complex will eliminate blight from the community near the International West complex and provide housing for residents,” said Jim DellaLonga, senior project manager in the planning division.
Heid Partners currently owns the 5,700 square feet parcel located at 12061 Garden Grove Boulevard and has refused to negotiate a sale with Sweet Homes. By getting the agency involved Heid may be forced to relocate if the city approves using eminent domain to seize the property.
“As far as I know all those business are up and running and generating income,” resident Peggy Bergin said. “That is already a built-out area and traffic congestion is already bad.”
The proposed facility will include two seven-story buildings with 53 residential condos, 26 commercial condos and a parking garage. The estimated cost of development is over $40 million and the three and four-bedroom condos will sell for around $494,000 a piece.
Under this new agreement the agency is responsible forrelocatation of the existing tenant and for any costs that exceed the decided fair market value of the property when purchasing it.
the thought of putting up more condos in that area and for the price they are saying that they would sell for is such a joke. To close bussinesses and put people out of work, which less revenue is just so wrong. Help fix up the area, not tear it down. Like we need more expense housing in that area is so stupid. People will lose jobs and be forced to move. Its just not right! Not everyone has the money to even think about paying that much for condos (not homes, but condos) I really don’t understand what they are thinking except to line the pocket of those who will make the money on building them. They tried to put 300.000 condos on Palm and Harbor and that bombed big time. Not we have another big hotel on that corner. Drive by and check out the weeds and unslightly mess it looks like now. Get real and if you must build more places to live how about ones that us poor folk can afford to live in. You’ve heard of it LOW INCOME HOUSING Oh but thats right, like the old saying goes, NOT IN MY BACK YARD.