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<\/a>Ken Farfsing has served as interim city manager for the City of Carson since last July. He\u2019s credited with bringing stability to a city once embroiled in controversy. (Photograph by the Business Journal\u2019s Larry Duncan)<\/em><\/p>\n\u201cI consider myself very lucky and honored to serve as mayor of Carson at this time, because this is a critical time in Carson\u2019s history and Carson\u2019s forward progress to what our founding fathers always dreamed and envisioned for the city,\u201d Robles said. \u201cI think we\u2019re realizing the full potential of the great City of Carson in these coming times.\u201d<\/p>\n
Robles pointed to real estate developments in the pipeline as the city\u2019s greatest opportunities for growth. \u201cWe have got a couple of major projects that are underway, and, when they are completed, they\u2019re going to move Carson forward significantly,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to attract more and more economic development, and that\u2019s what makes it exciting being mayor.\u201d<\/p>\n
The parcel of land that Robles and city management believe has the greatest potential is the 157-acre site adjacent to the 405 Freeway where the NFL nearly built a stadium for the Chargers and Raiders. Robles recalled that he was caught off guard when the league chose Inglewood instead. \u201cI was surprised. . . . But you know, the NFL owners in their infinite wisdom thought that the Inglewood site was better. So now we have to move on,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The former owner of the site, Starwood Capital Group, transferred ownership of the property to the Carson Reclamation Authority after the NFL deal fell through, which, after 15 years of dead-end development proposals, finally gives the city leverage and control in the site\u2019s future, according to Robles.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow when we pick the developer, it\u2019s going to be our land, on our terms,\u201d Robles said. \u201cWe\u2019re only going to enter into an agreement with a developer who can fulfill their promise to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The site represents about 2,200 linear feet adjacent to the 405 Freeway \u2013 vacant real estate that Carson Community Development Director John Raymond told the Business Journal \u201cdoesn\u2019t exist anywhere else on the 405.\u201d Raymond said the city is fairly certain an outlet mall is going to be built directly next to the freeway.<\/p>\n The city has been in talks with several developers, and Robles expects the city will be ready to announce its plans for the site in about two months.<\/p>\n Robles expects other ongoing developments, such as the Porsche Experience Center and multiple mixed-use residential projects \u2013 including a 357-unit apartment building under construction across the street for city hall \u2013 to have a significant positive impact on the city.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the city\u2019s business climate is \u201cexcellent,\u201d according to Robles, who pointed out that the city\u2019s auto dealers and oil refineries are doing well. \u201cSmall businesses, too, are relocating [to Carson],\u201d he said. \u201cWe just had our first micro brewery open last year and it\u2019s thriving,\u201d he noted, referring to Phantom Carriage Brewery on Main Street. \u201cOne year into their business, and they\u2019re [already] looking to expand.\u201d<\/p>\n In an interview at Carson City Hall, Ken Farfsing, interim city manager, noted that the city\u2019s logistics and goods movement sector, driven by nearby port operations, is thriving. \u201cThat\u2019s driving a lot of land values and land use decisions,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s having unintended consequences. Maria [Williams-Slaughter, director of public works] has to deal with a lot of issues related to road repair and traffic congestion.\u201d<\/p>\n The city\u2019s largest sales tax revenue generators \u2013 IKEA, the SouthBay Pavilion Mall and auto dealers \u2013 are all doing well, Farfsing pointed out.<\/p>\n Farfsing was hired by the city last July to help stabilize the government following years of city management turnover. He originally expected to come on for about six months, but has remained longer at the request of the Carson City Council as the city works on developing the former proposed NFL stadium site, balancing its budget and transitioning to a new management team. \u00a0\u201cWe\u2019ve had so much turmoil politically here that it\u2019s just very difficult to recruit city managers,\u201d Farfsing said. \u201cSo the council asked me to stay to try to stabilize staff.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe city has had an exodus of managers, I guess you would say,\u201d Farfsing reflected. \u201cA lot of managers were fired, so the institutional knowledge is not great. \u00a0They\u2019ve had a lot of acting directors running departments for a number of years.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n