Council approves Valley Center Pointe demolition contract (base + footing removal); delays deeper utility work

The council approved awarding a demolition contract for the Valley Center Pointe site, authorizing the base bid plus additive bid 1 (removal of foundations) for a contract award of $2,179,857.65 and a 10% contingency. Abraham Campos, who presented the item, explained the base bid removes vertical structures and leaves slabs in place; additive bid 1 removes footings and foundations; additive bid 2 would perform substantial utility separation and site upgrades for the adjacent vacant library parcel but was excluded from the approved resolution due to funding limits.

Campos said staff received three bids and recommended the base plus additive bid 1 so the city could eliminate blight and make the site safer while preserving budget flexibility for future work. Multiple council members said they wanted time to explore options for the former library parcel — including approaching the parcel’s adjacent owners or potential buyers — before committing the extra $700,000 staff had proposed for additive bid 2. A public commenter urged the council to pause demolition and consider adaptive reuse; staff and the presenter responded that structural and vandalism damage had rendered the building economically infeasible to rehab and that demolition would remove a long-standing safety and visual blight.

Council amended the draft resolution to remove additive bid 2 and approved base + additive bid 1 with a 10% contingency; staff said demolition would begin in roughly two to three months after permitting and mitigation steps and that full site leveling would likely occur later in the year.