College trustees OK lease of land to car dealership

The Coast Community College District may soon have a new tenant on its property ? or many shiny metallic ones ? as Connell Chevrolet has made a bid to rent out the space as a car lot this fall.

In December, the district put four acres of land near Adams Avenue and Pinecreek Drive up for lease to bring in additional funds. At the board of trustees’ Wednesday meeting, the district approved a proposal from Connell, which has rented a single acre on the parcel for more than a decade. If the board seconds the approval at its meeting next month, Connell will be set to move in later this year ? and the district will net an annual $480,000 ? money that may go to educational funds, health and insurance benefits, or other items.

“It will be district money,” said Walt Howald, president of the board. “It comes into the district, and it will be intended to benefit all our colleges and all our students in one form or another. The actual allocation hasn’t been determined at this point.”

He added that he was pleased that Connell, whom he called “a good neighbor all the way around,” was in line to lease the property.

In January, both Connell and the Lake Forest development firm Valeo Companies submitted bids for the land, which is part of a 14-acre parcel in central Costa Mesa. However, the district rejected both bids, saying that they didn’t meet the criteria set forth in the request for proposals.

Initially, the district had asked for a 35-year lease, with a possibility of one five-year extension. In April, the district changed the requirement to 25 years. Connell, which proposed a 25-year tenancy with two five-year extensions, was the only applicant during the second round of bidding.

Wayne Doddridge, the manager of Connell, said he was relieved when the district gave his second bid a thumbs-up.

“We’re very happy to have it done,” he said after Wednesday’s meeting. “We look forward to a long and productive relationship.”

Connell envisions the four-acre site as a lot for new cars, with lighting and a fence surrounding it. By November, Doddridge said, he hoped to have the lot paved and finished.

Meanwhile, the district is making plans to tear down its current headquarters and build a new structure on the property, adjacent to the area leased by Connell. C. M. Brahmbhatt, the district’s vice chancellor for administrative services, said groundbreaking could occur in January.