Posted on 10/21/2003 3:20:58 PM PDT by BenLurkin
CALIFORNIA CITY - Preparation is under way to begin construction on the long-proposed Hyundai Motor Co.-Kia Motor Corp. test track facility. Workers have been at the site for two weeks, making the biological surveys required before construction permits may be issued. This includes marking Joshua trees that may be removed and identifying any Mohave ground squirrel or desert tortoise habitats.
Permits to allow the construction in light of possible habitats for those two species are expected any day, City Manager Jack Stewart said.
Once the biological surveys are complete, construction work may begin, hopefully at the end of this week or the beginning of next, he said.
The major contractor in charge of the test track, grading, roads, water lines and other infrastructure, is Sukut Construction of Santa Ana. Condex Construction of Los Angeles will erect the buildings.
Work is expected to continue 10 hours a day, six days a week, to meet an opening date of Aug. 1, Stewart said.
Although construction of the facility is imminent, the city is still in the process of acquiring the seven square miles of land needed for the facility.
The facility site, at the southern edge of the city along Highway 58, was annexed by the city in July in an exchange with Kern County for land at the city's northern boundaries.
Approximately 80% of the land was owned by a railroad firm and purchased by the motor company last year.
The rest of the land consists of 211 lots; approximately half of those were purchased for the test track earlier this year.
The remaining 100 or so property owners were subject to eminent domain proceedings by the city if continued negotiations were not fruitful.
In this process, approved by the city in July, the redevelopment agency's law firm files a complaint against the property owner. Eventually, the case goes before a judge to determine just compensation for the property.
Approximately 20 parcels remain to be acquired by the city.
"Right now it's a question of what the court decides it is worth," Stewart said.
Hyundai-Kia intends to use the test track facility to test vehicles from its newest plant in Alabama.
The facility will be used by the company to test prototype vehicles in a variety of situations and will employ about 50 skilled workers and administrative staff full time. Another 50 will be seasonal or part-time employees. Engineers and consultants from Hyundai America Technical Center will also be visiting the facility.
The facility will include a 6.4-mile oval track, a vehicle dynamics area, a vehicle-handling course, a paved hill road and several special surface roads. A 30,000-square-foot office complex will be built.
Besides jobs and income for local businesses, Stewart said the city will net between $200,000 and $300,000 a year in taxes. Other benefits include income from building permits and two new SUVs for the police department.
A ceremonial groundbreaking for the facility was conducted in February, with officials and executives from Hyundai-Kia in attendance.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.