Council To Negotiate Village Marketplace Deal, Replace Crow With Hernandez

The San Leandro City Council will meet in closed session Monday night to consider selling developer David Irmer the downtown site where he proposes to build a $10 million shop and food complex that he calls .

The council agenda says City Manager Chris Zapata -- making his debut official appearance -- will be negotiating "the price and terms" of selling Irmer the old Albertson's property at 1550 East 14th Street.

San Leandro purchased the land for $6.175 million in 2009 to settle a lawsuit with the site's former owner which had proposed it as a location for the Grocery Outlet, which has since opened up on East 14th and Estabrook

City officials have said the parcel for about $3 million. Irmer has said he expects to pay $2.5 million.

Past transactions involving the site were carried out by the city's redevelopment agency, but . City officials still want to sell the land to Irmer but community development director officials don't completely understand the new rules governing such deals.

San Leandro blogger Marga Lacabe decried the likely sale as a sweetheart deal but conceded that there likely not much opponents could do except protest.

Mayor Stephen Cassidy said the difference between what San Leandro paid for the parcel in 2009 and what it is worth today stems from the fact that the site used to include the old Albertson's building, whereas today it is an empty lot.

In other action, the council will ratify the appointment of Ed Hernandez to the Planning Commission. He was chosen by Councilwoman Ursula Reed who , Chris Crow. He is an announced candidate for the city council seat that Reed will have to defend in November.

Hernandez is a self-employed development consultant who has lived in San Leandro for the last seven years.

In the past he has worked for large home builders and has also served as a financial analyst.

(Follow us on Twitter @sanleandropatch or like us at Facebook.com/sanleandropatch)