Sep. 24--LA VERNE -- In today's down economy, cities are scrambling to attract high-quality retail that will bring value to their communities while also generating healthy sales tax revenue.

And La Verne appears poised to do just that.

A prime 7.7-acre site along Foothill Boulevard is up for sale, and the city is hoping to create an 85,000-square-foot retail center that would include such uses as a grocery, bookstore, pharmacy, electronics store and restaurant.

"That property is vital to providing a commercial base for this city, which translates to sales tax," said Hal Fredericksen, La Verne's community development director. "We believe the property is well positioned to accommodate a quality neighborhood shopping center, and we're aware of interest from a number of alternative grocers like Henry's and Trader Joe's."

The property is owned by Jeanne Gillette and has a long family history.

Gillette and her late husband, David Gillette, used to operate their own citrus groves on the land from 1954 to 1968 -- a time when most of the local economy in the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire was based on agriculture.

The couple sold off another portion of their original 16 acres several years ago, which became a mobile home park.

The remaining land, which became home to Liberty Ford in 1968 and more recently Person Ford and Foothill Ford, now sits vacant.

Gillette said she hopes to get $6 million to $7 million for the

property.

Mike Radlovic, a senior associate with the Ontario office of Marcus & Millichap, is marketing the property. The interest level, he said, is already high.

"We've had multiple offers from qualified developers with proven track records," he said. "It's such a rare piece of land. There's no other area in La Verne where you'd have nearly 900 feet of frontage available along Foothill Boulevard."

Radlovic created an effective marketing tool for the property by taking an aerial photo of the site and overlaying the names and locations of retailers that are located nearby.

A Target, Marshalls and Kohl's department store are all located within a three-block distance along Foothill. Other retailers within walking distance include Office Depot, Vons, Albertsons, Stater Bros., Edwards Cinemas, Rubios, Chili's, McDonald's and Bank of America.

Fredericksen said the city is prepared to fast-track the development if a quality project is presented for the site. But the concerns of surrounding residents will also be taken into consideration.

"We wouldn't want to bring in something like batting cages because that doesn't provide income and wouldn't be compatible with the community," he said. "We even have to be careful with a shopping center regarding the loading design and hours of operation. And we want to make sure the landscaping is attractive."

Gillette, who co-owns the land with another member of her family, admits she's a little sad about selling the land.

But there have long been challenges to keeping the property, she said.

"Even when we sold off some of the land for a mobile home park it was getting more and more difficult to raise citrus," she said. "Property taxes began to go up when more development started to come in, and water costs also went up but the cost of fruit didn't go up in proportion to that."

kevin.smith@sgvn.com

(626) 962-8811, Ext. 2701

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