LAKEPORT — The Main Street property where Natural High School is located and Dutch Harbor were part of the discussion about redevelopment projects planned for Lakeport Tuesday night at Lakeport City Hall.
The Lakeport Redevelopment Agency is seeking input from the public about redevelopment projects the city agency is planning for the next five years.
Richard Knoll, the agency director, gave an audience of approximately 40 people gathered in Lakeport City Council chambers an update about projects under way and a first look at future plans. Knoll said he hopes to hold another meeting within six months, and told attendees to “start thinking about” how they wanted the city to look.
“The measure of success can be as small as one new commercial tenant in downtown Lakeport,” Knoll said, referring to the Lakeport Redevelopment Agency”s joint effort with the Lakeport Main Street Association to bring new businesses to the city.
But relocating or expanding to the city isn”t an easy sell, he said, because most retailers want a higher trade base than Lakeport”s estimated 35,000 customers, and look for a higher median annual income than Lake County”s estimated $45,000.
The redevelopment agency is in the process of developing a five-year plan. Knoll said the agency needs input from citizens to move forward with the process.
Projects listed in the plan include a promenade on the waterfront between Third Street and Clear Lake Avenue; a fa?ade improvement program for Main Street businesses, South Main Street and Lakeport Boulevard; a hotel project; purchase and development of Dutch Harbor; South Main Street and Lakeport Boulevard improvements, and recruiting new businesses.
Natural High School sits in the waterfront project area, and Knoll said when he last heard from Lakeport Unified School District Superintendent Erin Hagberg, the property was not for sale.
Nonetheless, he said the agency and an architectural draftsman drew up a preliminary draft of the project using a “blank slate approach” in order to avoid being hampered in the idea phase by existing land uses.
Knoll said an appraisal of the Dutch Harbor property is under way, and the agency plans to purchase the property from the city. He said the property is currently included in a contract the city has with developer Matt Boeger, who is developing a golf course on city property along Highway 175.
Knoll said the agency hopes to preserve open space and lake access along the waterfront as part of the promenade plan. He said any change to the maximum height requirement along the shoreline would have to go through a public review process.
Knoll said the redevelopment agency raises funds by issuing redevelopment tax increment anticipation bonds, which enables the city agency to collect tax increment revenue from the county.
The agency has issued more than $5.6 million in tax increment bonds since 2004, according to Knoll.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com.
