What does it mean to be in a project area?

If you are in a redevelopment project area, you will have an opportunity to participate actively in improving the quality of life in your neighborhood. A community redevelopment program includes a large amount of reuse and enhancement of existing facilities as well as reinforcement of existing neighborhoods.

Property owners, residents, and businesspersons may benefit from redevelopment in the following ways:

• A wider range of jobs available

• Improved community services

• New construction and remodeling

• Improved traffic circulation patterns

• Increased property values

• Availability of loans to improve property

• More affordable housing

• Improved properties

• Poor health and safety conditions eliminated

• More recreation and leisure time opportunities

If I live in a Redevelopment Area, doe sit mean I live in an impoverished area?

If you live within the boundaries of a redevelopment project area, it does not necessarily mean that your home is blighted. You may very well reside in an are a which is surrounded by, or adjacent to, deteriorated areas. You may live in an area which needs public improvements such as better street lighting, curbs, drainage facilities, alley improvements, or parks. You may live in an area which could benefit from rehabilitation and beatification.

If I am in a Redevelopment Project Area, does that mean that I will have to leave?

Simply living in a Redevelopment Project Area does not mean that you will be forced to move. Redevelopment is not a bulldozer waiting around the corner. There may be some need for relocation, demolition of existing buildings, and recycling of urban land. These activities are part of a carefully thought out redevelopment plan designed to fulfill the needs and desires of the majority or residents, property owners, and business owners for the betterment of the community. Only properties essential for revitalizing a declining area are purchased by an agency.

When will I find out what is going to happen to my home or business? 

The redevelopment plan will be carried out in a series of stages. Timely notices are sent to residents and businesses which will be directly affected by redevelopment activities.

You have an opportunity to help decide what is going to happen to your neighborhood. A public information program will usually keep citizens well informed about redevelopment and a Project Area Committee is often formed to facilitate communication between citizens and the redevelopment agency.

How will a neighborhood be affected by Redevelopment?

Redevelopment is typically a means for improving neighborhoods. The following examples are a partial list of improvements that could be made in neighborhoods.

•  Street landscaped with trees, shrubs, and flowers

• Sidewalks, drainage facilities, gutters, and curbs installed

• Alleys paved, improved, and repaired

• Reduction of through traffic on residential streets

• Street lighting improved

• Loans and grants for rehabilitation of homes made available

• Neighborhood parks, greenbelts and bike paths constructed

• Buffers constructed between conflicting uses

If property acquisition occurs, what happens then?

Whenever it is necessary to acquire property within a project area, the agency will pay the fair market value for the land and improvements as required by law. Fair market value is determined by independent private appraisers. In addition to getting a fair price for your property, the Agency, under the California Relocation Assistance Act, must offer relocation assistance and allowances to defray certain costs and alleviate the inconvenience of your move. In all cases, negotiated settlements are the goal. A negotiated purchase is one which is acceptable and fair to both the buyer and the seller.

If citizens must leave their homes (whether one rents or owns the home), a relocation specialist will help them to find decent, safe, and sanitary replacement homes which are at least comparable to their present home son terms of price, size, and neighborhood conveniences.

If they are living in overcrowded conditions, the law requires the Agency to assist in relocation to a home of adequate size. If their homes are in poor condition (such as inadequate plumbing), the law requires that they be relocated to homes that are in satisfactory condition.

Relocation housing must be available to persons of all races, religions, and nationalities. It is their choice where they want to relocate, not the redevelopment agency's.

What about Eminent domain?

At times, it may be necessary for the Agency to use eminent domain to acquire property. Eminent domain is the authority for a public agency to acquire property for a purpose that is in the public interest. It is not used lightly. The public agency is required by law to hold public hearings on the action, to pay the owner fair market value, and to give the occupant all relocation benefits and allowances to which one is entitled by law. If the fair market value cannot be agreed upon, all of the evidence, including appraisals, is submitted to the court and a judge or jury makes the final determination regarding value. Again, this is a seldom used process by most redevelopment agencies. However, the authority to use eminent domain is needed on occasion when a property owner refuses to sell or when agreement on the fair market value cannot be reached.

When are relocation benefits available?

If a household or business is displaced due to property acquisition by the Agency, occupants are entitled by law to certain moving assistance benefits.

When they meet the legal qualifications, relocation benefits include:

• Assistance in finding a new location

• Payment to help cover moving costs

• Differential payments for increased rent

• Additional payments for certain other costs

Will I have a voice in what happens in my neighborhood?

Each neighborhood has different goals and needs. The people who reside, own property, or have  a business in the area should participate in the decisions affecting their families and lifestyles. Without their participation, there can be no plan which will fit their needs and desires. Communities encourage citizen participation in several ways. You may be able to serve on a neighborhood committee, attend a community forum, speak at a public hearing, write a letter to the governing body, sign a petition, or serve on a formal project area committee.

Active participation by interested citizens will ensure that:

• Community and neighborhood interests and needs are considered

• The residents and property owners will share in the benefits flowing from redevelopment activities

• The residents and property owners will participate in the decision-making process affecting their neighborhood

• The residents and owners are aware of, and informed about, the redevelopment process and activities.

How long do I have to wait for some of the Redevelopment benefits to reach me?

Redevelopment will not occur overnight. It takes hard work and active citizen participation. Many people are impatient to see the first shovel full of dirt turned, the first decaying building cleared, and the first signs of new construction and rehabilitation of buildings take place. However, careful planning and proper phasing of development is critical to a successful plan. Hasty development or approval of the wrong projects can actually delay the full benefits of redevelopment and can hamper future efforts.

In redevelopment, as in other facets of life, haste can make waste. It is essential to make the right choices so that the objectives of the redevelopment plan and the community goals can be achieved. The implementation of the redevelopment program is an essential element of the agency's annual budget process. Therefore, redevelopment projects approved as part of the annual budget will be undertaken during the budget year.