In an opinion piece for the Los Angeles Times, William Fulton, former mayor of Ventura and the only mayor in California who supported the Governor's proposal to end redevelopment, offers concrete steps for reviving redevelopment in the state.
Stepping back from the recent debates on how the billions of dollars made available by the elimination of the state's redevelopment agencies will be distributed, Fulton refocuses on what redevelopment is supposed to be about: "creating successful communities and neighborhoods throughout California."
A common denominator in the ongoing discussion over the future of redevelopment, both from those who were in favor of eliminating its most recent incarnation and those who were against, is that redevelopment will surely return to Californian cities in some fashion, albeit with diminished scale and increased oversight.
In the piece, Fulton introduces his recipe for redefining redevelopment based on three key ingredients:
1. Redevelopment should be used only for true revitalization.
2. California should cap the amount of tax-increment money that redevelopment agencies in the state can collect.
3. We should eliminate the requirement that to be redeveloped, an area must be officially deemed "blighted."
FULL STORY: Getting real about redevelopment in California
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