Getting Answers Road Tour: Lodi
LODI (CBS13) - For the first time in a decade, one local city is adding a brand new subdivision.
"Why is the city building homes?" asked a Lodi resident.
That's just one question thrown our way in tonight's road tour.
Drive through the city of Lodi this time of year and you'll see fallen leaves and rising holiday cheer. But curiosity is also going up over when the old Sunset Theatre might be coming down, or renovated. It's been locked up since 1998. The theatre has become a bit of an eyesore, say some CBS13 viewers.
They want to know: What's going to happen to the place?
"You know, the building has some challenges. It's a beautiful old building, it's a historic building, it's got a really great facade and a great front sign," said Lodi city manager Steve Schwabauer.
The city is working with the building's owners on a few ideas:
- Turn the old place into loft apartments on the top floor and businesses down below.
- Put it back into use as a theatre.
For now, the ball is in the owner's court to come up with a coming attraction.
A plot of land has attracted a lot of attention in Lodi lately. It's a new housing subdivision under construction -- Lodi's first in nearly 10 years.
Viewer Mike worries there may not be enough jobs to sustain a new housing development.
"Why is the city building homes? Are they expecting more businesses or bigger businesses in Lodi here?" he asked.
City leaders tell us yes, they are confident big business will match the housing growth.
"Our housing growth is so slow, if anything, our job growth probably outstrips it," said Schwabauer.
But everyone is worried about our last stop on this week's road tour: The soon-to-be-closed General Mills plant.
Some other companies have expressed interest in the plant, Schwabauer says. And most General Mills workers in Lodi still have their jobs.
The city reminds us the plant will stay fully operational through August of 2015 when half of the 430 workers will be laid off. The other half will be laid off in January of 2016. By then, Lodi hopes another big-name company would be ready to take over.
If you want to tell Tony where to go next, email him at tlopez@kovr.com.