Redevelopment Loan OKd for Restaurant
A tenant who plans to open a restaurant at the historic Villa del Sol commercial building has been given a $50,000 loan from the Fullerton Redevelopment Agency to rehabilitate the property.
The tenant, Michael S. Oates Jr., said he plans to make improvements in plumbing, electrical and mechanic systems and upgrade the kitchen, install new flooring and wallpaper and rehabilitate doors, windows, outdoor signs and landscaping.
His proposed restaurant, Cafe Hidalgo, will feature Mexican, Latin American and Mediterranean cuisine.
The loan was offered through a Redevelopment Agency program created to attract and retain businesses in the downtown, city officials said.
Mayor Chris Norby, the only Redevelopment Agency member who opposes the program, said agency members should not be acting as loan officers.
His colleagues on the agency disagreed.
Councilman and agency Director F. Richard Jones said the loans help businesses make the downtown area attractive.
“A city that does not have a viable downtown is like an individual with a sick heart,” he said.
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