Within Santa Cruz County there is an entity separate from the City yet still directly connected to it. This entity is the Redevelopment Agency. The purpose of the redevelopment agency is to, separately from the City, "improve" blighted areas, not to blight improved areas -- yet it has just this in mind.

In an sneaky deal between the Redevelopment Agency and the Coast Hotel, plans have been devised to demolish the current hotel and its parking lot and replace it with a five-story convention center and gigantic matching parking structure. Because of its controversy the City has been planning in secrecy for about two years, and information about it has just been released to the public. Aside from incredibly biased photographs portraying the plans blocking Cowell's beach from public access, included in this package is a payoff for the Redevelopment Agency alone -- no direct revenue is paid to the City yet at the same time the City would be forced to pay for the construction.

One Commenter writes: Public Hearing on the Redevelopment of the Coast Hotel is 7 pm Tuesday, January 18 in City Council Chambers, 809 Center St. and 7 pm Wednesday, January 19, in the Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St.

Report Backs: Y Swami Y Given Special Mayoral Escort I Rotkin Sent Third Brown Act Demand on Public Comment Censorship

See Related: SC Coast Hotel project--Sentinel article analysis

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