Special meeting to look at Galt Market Community Plan

The Galt City Council will determine whether city staff can work with legislative leaders to introduce a bill that would remove the deed restrictions on the Galt Market Property, as they look to monetize the property.

The council and staff hope that the plan would create a consistent revenue stream for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department.

If the council approves the request, city staff will begin working with Assemblyman Jim Cooper to remove the deed restrictions stipulated in Assembly Bill 3773, which states “the City of Galt may conduct a city-operated flea market on the property, upon condition that the rents from these uses shall be utilized by the city solely for park and recreation purposes in the city.” The word “solely” was amended in 1982 to replace the word “substantially,” which was initially written in the bill.

The city has until Feb. 21 to submit a spot bill — a non-substantive placeholder bill whose contents will be replaced with substantive provisions at a later date — according to Interim City Manager Tom Haglund.

“We have until May 18 to draft a version of a bill that will go before the state Legislature that amends the verbiage of the current bill and removes the deed restrictions,” Haglund said.

The city received a grant in 2019 to explore possible reuses and reinvigoration of the approximately 44-acre Civic Center properties that currently include City Hall, Littleton Center, the Sports Complex, the Galt Market, parking areas and adjacent private lands.

This follows after the council voted to enter into an exclusive negotiation with Upland-based development firm Lewis Acquisition Company, LLC, to revamp the Galt Market and surrounding cityowned property during a July 2019 meeting. Lewis Acquisition provided the city with a $5,000 funding allocation that was used towards the exploration grant process, Haglund said.

The decision to improve the Galt Market Community space came after Galt Economic Development Manager Amie Mendes said the market was not generating a strong stream of revenue, he added.

“The income generated from the Galt Market has been inconsistent and following in a downward trend for years. The market is bringing in $1 million less (to date) than it did at its height in 2005,” Haglund said.

Market revenue hit a peak in the 2004-05 fiscal year at $3.5 million, former City Manager Eugene Palazzo said. But the market, which was once a hub for wholesalers looking to move their inventory, has become a series of vacant spaces as vendors turn to online retail sites.

The city held eight community outreach meetings to answer questions and gauge interest in the project, Haglund said.

“My goal is to sustain the long-term financial future of the city and its parks department, and to do that we cannot sit on our thumbs pretending the market is a goose laying the same-sized golden eggs. We need to come up with realistic plans that are going to secure our financial future,” Haglund said.

If the outcome to amend the deed restrictions are favorable, the city would be able to develop a master plan for the market property.

The Galt City Council will discuss the Galt Market Community Plan during a Special City Council Meeting tonight at 6 p.m. inside City Council Chambers, 380 Civic Drive, Galt.