CLEARLAKE – In a special joint meeting Thursday, the Clearlake City Council and Clearlake Redevelopment Agency will hold their first public meeting on a regional shopping center plan proposed for the city's old airport property.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 7, in the council chambers at Clearlake City Hall, 14050 Olympic Drive.

Last month, the city began to release documents on the Pearce Airport property shopping center plan, which is reported to include a Lowe's home improvement center, as Lake County News has reported.

The 15-acre site would be anchored by the Lowe's store, estimated to have more than 137,000 square feet between its indoor and outdoor space, as well as four additional commercial tenants which Mike Raphel of KK Raphel Properties, the proposed developer, said haven't yet been determined. The goal is to break ground by February 2011.

City officials estimate that the development will bring more than a quarter million dollars' worth of new sales tax revenue into the city annually, plus more than $150,000 in tax increment revenue for the redevelopment agency and 320 jobs.

The plan includes the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency selling the development site to KK Raphel Properties for $2,683,599, less $1,210,000 needed to grade the site, for a net of $1,473,599. Another $500,000 would be set aside to deal with the possibility of hazardous materials which, if they were found, would reduce the city's proceeds to $973,599.

In addition, the redevelopment agency would spent at least $6 million in bond proceeds to assist in making site upgrades, according to officials.

The city is proposing to do the project without a full environmental impact report.

At its Thursday meeting, the council and agency – whose members are the same – will hold a public hearing to consider whether to certify the draft mitigated negative declaration and initial study.

They'll also consider authorizing City Administrator Dale Neiman – also the redevelopment agency's executive director – to execute the draft disposition and development agreement, and authorize him to execute a land exchange for an easement with Superior Acquisitions, which owns property to the south.

Also on the agenda are public hearings to consider approving the disposition and development agreement between the Clearlake Redevelopment Agency and KK Raphel Properties before authorizing Neiman and City Clerk Melissa Swanson to sign them; and a hearing to consider the abandonment of a part of the Airport Road right-of-way.

E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Follow Lake County News on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LakeCoNews and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lake-County-News/143156775604?ref=mf .