Real Name: James Mortensen Gender: male Member Since: September 19, 2007 Last Signed In: May 30, 2008 Profile Views: 103 Blog Views: 354 City Crisis Management: October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 August 08 September 08 October 08 
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City Crisis Management:
Based on their past track record and recent comments, the City Council and staff do not inspire great confidence in the hearts and minds of your readers. I’m referring to the following issues: · CCI expansion impact - Ed Grimes - “Tehachapi is going to have a voice,” and Mayor Hand - “We’re a little more sophisticated now than we were ten years ago,” · Development Mitigation Fees - City Manager Greg Garrett - “You are trying to make the [city] staff look stupid,” and Director David James - “We acknowledge the chaos and animosity this has created,” followed by “Nothing could be further from the truth,”. Observation: (If action fits, then you deserve the title.) · Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. (Attributed to · If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it must Be Time to Resign. We could use less “voice” and “sophisticated” and more wisdom and effective action from our representatives. Our city and staff wouldn’t “look stupid” if their actions didn’t create so much “chaos and animosity”. Development Impact Mitigation fees are typically paid by a developer before a building permit or certificate of occupancy is issued. Getting business tenants in the middle of the fee payment is not being “business friendly”. Developers/Property Owners should pay the fees. Mitigation & Impact fees are authorized by the state and imposed by local agencies on new development to pay for a portion of the added costs that the new development will create or impose on the existing public infrastructure (ie. utiliti es, education, transportation, etc.) These fees are a charge on new development to help fund and pay for the needed expansion or improvements created by the development (residential or commercial). These fees are to help reduce the economic burden on local agencies (tax payers), who are trying to deal with the problems growth brings to the area. -- Those who profit and create the need for expansion should pay Impact Fees to Mitigate the Problems. Developer are experts at "HIT & RUN" HIT=Create Problem, and RUN with the profits. Most communities are slow or hesitant to impose realistic fees due to local politicians dependance on developer contributions. - FOLLOW THE MONEY 10 comments from 6 users
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posted by
awsmom8
on May 6, 2008 at 11:32 PM
It is obvious that the current city council does not have a clue as to what a master plan is in regards to city growth. Yep--let's allow a truck stop ( A REAL ATTRACTION--wow-won't that look nice!), offer no cost loans for mitigation fees and allow the developer to pass them on to the tenants (bet they are still smiling over that one ; ), offer $700,000 toward private low cost housing (are they going to put in a pool or playgrounds), let housing tracts be built with the houses crammed just a few feet apart and not require the developers to add parks or contribute to a community center or Boys and Girls Club, pay for a study that encouraged the recruitment of a Target or other upscale store then ignore the recommendation, allow a 1 MILLION DOLLAR FIRE STATION to be built that is unusable, approve the plans for a building to be built facing backwards, allow a junk yard to be visible that just keep growing and growing, no plans announced as to what impact the council feels will happen with the new CCI expansion on Tehachapi (oh yeah)--"we are more sophisticated now" LOL. Wonder when the last time the city council drove down and looked at cities that have a real master plan--ones with community centers, ballparks, a city hall that is not in a shopping center, a youth and senior center? Why reinvent the wheel each time a new council gets in? Keep going the way they are and Tehachapi is going to be too screwed up to salvage....
posted by
Joty
on May 7, 2008 at 03:37 PM
lol, awsmom, well said. Ok, I missed it, where is the backwards facing building? Mr. Mortensen, I couldn't agree more with you. I lived in Thousand Oaks many years ago off Janss Road. In the 50's TO was a "drive to the country" down a two-lane highway from the SF Valley. I still mourn the loss of Jungleland, a much loved destination when we were kids. TO today is so unattractive and overcrowded. My daughter lives in Moorpark, and it too has lost that really small town attractiveness. Just this morning as I exited the 58 onto 202 I felt a great deal of sadness to think that someday that view of our gorgeous rural little valley will be no more if things keep going in the direction things seem to have taken. Growth is inevitable, but let's get a City Council in that knows what they are doing! posted by
ProgressoDasani
on May 7, 2008 at 04:22 PM
the Que Pasa building at the corner of Tehachapi Blvd and Tucker has its back turned to both Tucker and Tehachapi Blvd. And speaking of views, I used to stop and enjoy the view from the top of CCI interchange on my home from work. It was so pretty. But since then the road has been reconfigured with an enormous airport-size leveling job, complete with lined-up boulders replacing the gentle hill that used to be there, and Walgreens butt-end dominating the viewshed, I can't do that anymore.
posted by
Sparks
on May 7, 2008 at 07:36 PM
Awsmom said what I was thinking.... I suppose a play ground, dog park or pool won't bring enough revenue...so we get to look at track housing cramed together instead. Very Attractive...ugh The City Hall building in a shopping mall???? What in the world? What genius came up with that idea???? posted by
curlyshirly
on May 8, 2008 at 08:56 AM
Sparks, the "shopping mall" moniker was labled as such by Stan Beckham who has connections to Tower Investments in Capital Hills - on the other side of the tracks. I don't understand why the city doesn't slap him down for spreading this kind of misinformation. I saw the charette drawings that proposed a town square with mixed use buildings on the periphery. The center was a nice big green area and the surrounding buildings were a variety of townhomes and brownstone styles, with small sidewalk cafe or boutique style shops dotting the area. The city hall would be in the middle, and I think it even had an outdoor ampitheater for TCT, etc. posted by
ProgressoDasani
on May 8, 2008 at 09:43 AM
uh...don't we already HAVE a town square with mixed used buildings and a variety of houses? its called the downtown and the city has already spent about $5m fixing it up, even fixing the beekay for TCT.
None of this fantasyland will be built with the current economy anyway. Tower owns both developments anyway. posted by
Sparks
on May 8, 2008 at 12:33 PM
Curly your idea sure seems better than the shopping mall and btw, I didn't vote for Stan, he and I were on the outs from day one on this blog. He promised Change...well Tehachapi got change alright. Progressive, you crack me up. Indeed we already have a town square and the economy is going down hill fast. Will property taxes be lowered for the residents in Tehachapi? The outrageous taxes they are paying now if continued would certainly allow for yet ANOTHER town square wouldn't it? I don't live in the city anymore and by the looks of it... I'm glad I moved up the hill. I like you Progressive, want to see Tehachapi stop building for a while... KNOCK IT OFF Tehachapi before our small town in a time of a bad economy turns to crap due to more bad planning.. posted by
Joty
on May 9, 2008 at 04:25 PM
Hmmm, I guess Que Paso is a backwards facing building. I've looked at it a thousand times, and I guess it just didn't register. lol.... A shopping mall by any other description is still a shopping mall. What about adequate parking and the fact traffic will increase in front of the high school where everyone ignores the speed limit anyway? About two weeks ago - this made my day - I was east bound on Valley, had slowed down to the 25 mph posted (I lived in Vegas where they show no mercy for speeding in school zones) when a man in a small truck blasted up behind me trying to drive right up my tail pipe. As I made my left onto Dennison, a police car pulled up behind him and requested with his lights that the man pull over. I laughed all the way back to Sand Canyon... posted by
ProgressoDasani
on May 9, 2008 at 05:47 PM
A Righteous bust like that is FUN! They don't happen often - once in my life so far...I laughed for miles, too. posted by
starchaser
on May 30, 2008 at 12:10 AM
Curly's pulling your leg Sparks. " I saw the charette drawings that proposed a town square with mixed use buildings on the periphery." Curly you seem to be spreading a lot of innuendo and rumors about Stan Beckham. You have accused him of having ties to Tower Investments. Where is your proof? You state that you saw the drawings for the "town square" as you call it at the Charrette. The charrette was held in February 2007. The drawings for the town square you are referring to were done by Empire Land Company, a general partner of Tower Investments and were presented to the public in October 2007. You couldn't have possibly seen these at the charrette. This is bunk: "The center was a nice big green area and the surrounding buildings were a variety of townhomes and brownstone styles, with small sidewalk cafe or boutique style shops dotting the area. The city hall would be in the middle, and I think it even had an outdoor ampitheater for TCT, etc." Rather, the drawings show a U shaped business center with the main entrance off Curry Street. On the North side of the center starting from the West there is a senior housing building, then two buildings with commercial space and loft space, all of which face the back side of the commercial center. What a view! Curly you are the one that seems to be spreading misinformation. Should we slap you down?
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