July 2024 | Vol. 10 Iss. 7
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WVC PLANNERS RECOMMEND REZONE, REDEVELOPMENT OF REDWOOD DRIVE-IN SITE By Tom Haraldsen | t.haraldsen@mycityjournals.com
W
hile the West Valley Performing Arts Center found a lifeline to stay in business this past month (see story in this issue), the fate of another theater is now in question. The city’s Planning Commission voted 4-2 on June 26 to recommend approval of a rezone on property currently housing the historical Redwood Drive In. The 26.3-acre site on Redwood Road has been used extensively for swap meets for years, with minimal use as a drive-in theater during summer months. The recommendation will now go to the city council for its consideration at a later date. The rezone has been sought by EDGEhomes, a developer in Draper, which wants to purchase the land and build 300 housing units on the site—244 townhomes, 40 condominiums and 16 single-family homes. The property is owned by De Anza Land and Leisure Corp of Los Angeles. That company once operated a number of drive-in theaters across the country but has been closing them and selling the land to developers. Since word of the EDGEhomes request for rezoning was first unveiled, a groundswell of support to keep the theaters and swap meet site in place has continued to grow. An online petition on change.org has already received over 20,000 signatures, and opponents of the zone change filled the council chambers for the planning commission meeting. Almost all present were mainly interested in preserving the site for swap meets that are held each weekend. Commissioners have been studying the developer’s proposal and said some changes to its general plan would be necessary for the proposal to go forward. The commission first heard about the plan in an earlier June meeting, but tabled the motion for two weeks. At that first hearing, which lasted more than three hours, many vendors spoke at length about the importance of the swap meet, citing their livelihoods depended on being able to market their products and services at the meet. “This is my source of income—how I support my family,” Continued page 9
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Air-taxis
The historic Redwood Drive-In could be demolished and the site rezoned for development of 300 new homes. City Council will make a final decision on the zoning. (Tom Haraldsen/City Journals)
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WestFest
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West Lake STEM reopens this year