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Health & Fitness

Success at what cost?

The proposed "Village at Paseo San Gorgonio" will be a succes at what cost?

I have watched, with interest, the evolution of the demolition and redevelopment of the San Gorgonio Inn property. And, let me say, that I believe the project, combined with the construction of the new Justice Center will be a huge addition to downtown Banning.

First, there was the debate of the historic value versus the inability to rehabilitate a property in such disrepair.  It would have been nice to save the site, but it was more than just a little impractical.  The fact that the signs will be saved and incorporated, into the final design, is, at least, some consolation.  I hope this element will not get lost!

In addition to the historical debate, there is now some concern over whether the project is warranted at all, at this time, with so much office and retail space already available in the downtown area.  There are, literally, 1000’s of square feet of space unoccupied in the downtown area, as we speak.

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The argument, in favor of moving forward, is the future development slated for the city that will, eventually, house 6 court rooms and drive 1000’s of people to the downtown area MONDAY through FRIDAY.  What about Saturday and Sunday when most retail business takes place?  While this, on the surface, is a great argument, what will happen to the properties that have been rehabilitated with millions of dollars in taxpayer's money along with the investment required of the property owners themselves?

As I’ve stated, I personally, believe the San Gorgonio Inn project has more than a good chance to succeed.  However, at what cost to the taxpayers and other property owners will this success be achieved?

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What concerns me, more than anything, is the idea of building a hotel on the site.  I know that it is described as just one option by the developer, but I hope that the city decision makers will really analyze this.  Just a few questions they might ask are: How many hotel rooms do we already have?  What will a new hotel do to the existing hotel owners?  Is there enough potential new lodging business, or are we just diluting the business for the hotels we already have?  And even if there is projected new lodging needs, do we need another hotel to satisfy the demand?  Again, at what cost to existing business owners will this project succeed?

I am all in favor of seeing the city be progressive and move forward and have been for the 18+ years I have lived in Banning.  I believe that the city needs to be working on projects, now, that will benefit the city in the future.  I also believe the economic picture will be brighter as we move forward, even though I am not encouraged by what I have seen so far.  We’ll just have to wait and see.  In the meantime, as our elected officials wrestle with a plan for the future, I ask, again, at what cost and to whom will the San Gorgonio Inn project be successful?

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