On again, off again - Elk Grove schedules, then cancels less than 16 hours later closed session meeting on Oak Rose
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2023/11/on-again-off-again-elk-grove-schedules.html
In the last 18 hours, the Elk Grove City Council scheduled a special meeting and then issued a cancellation notice. The closed-session meeting was to discuss two lawsuits against the city from the state of California and the Oak Rose apartment developers.
On Thursday afternoon at about 4:30, the city issued a notice that a closed-session city council meeting would convene at 5 p.m. on Monday. November 20. This today, just before 9 a.m., the Elk Grove city clerk's office circulated a cancellation notice.
The city is being sued by California Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom after its July 2022 rejection of the Oak Rose affordable housing project in its Old Town special planning area. The Oak Rose apartment developer, Long Beach-based Excelerate Housing Group, is also suing Elk Grove.
Interestingly, the city has held two special closed-session meetings to discuss the lawsuits. Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen has repeatedly said the city is trying to entice the developer to move their supportive housing project to an unspecified, less-objectional location within the city.
Traditionally, the city holds one city council meeting per month in November and December. The only scheduled meeting between now and the end of the year is on December 13.
However, another special meeting will likely be scheduled if the city settles the lawsuits.
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4 comments
Guess the check wasn't big enough?
For the taxpayers sake, City Hall better not hide behind a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) when they finally sweeten the pot sufficiently to put the lawsuits behind them. Inquiring minds (and pocketbooks) wanna know.
My guess it has more to do with the Thanksgiving family holiday than anything else. Measure E monies and community meetings residents spoke that they wanted to spend monies on projects like Oak Rose and others in the pipeline. The applicant publicly stated their interest in other property opportunities. Like any negotiations making the best deal possible for all parties will hopefully be revealed soon. A Christmas gift for all……..
It is wholly inconsistent to schedule a meeting - these sessions are not created in a vacuum - then cancel it hours later. As we saw with a recent meeting, the city council willingly conducted a meeting with a three member quorum.
The city may have thought they had this in the bag, so to speak, only to have their best laid plans thwarted rendering the need for a closed session meeting meaningless.
I do agree the city will make an offer on the backs of Elk Grove taxpayers that will be so generous for the Oak Rose people to refuse. Its very easy to spend money you didn't have to earn to make a problem go away.
I only know three things:
1) The Old Town NIMBYs got us into this legal mess to begin with and the City Council caved in to them
2) A costly settlement will occur before any trial ever occurs
3) The City will spin the settlement and blanket the news outlets with a press release that portrays them as heroes and advocates of supportive housing
Then, it's election season!
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