City ignores Brown Act by refusing to say why it wants 22-acre parcel adjacent to Gateway Center

This diagram is part of an attachment included in the staff recommendation to deny the New Woodland Partners appeal to annex land next to the Gateway Center along Interstate 5. Note that all properties surrounding the 22-acre site are owned by Paul Petrovich. The city owns land that touches the southeast corner of the parcel labeled APN 027-300-31 in the diagram, but is referred to as APN 027 852 005 in city agendas.

From the Woodland Record:

The City of Woodland wants to buy a 22-acre parcel that it was set to deny annexation on January 18. The parcel (APN 027 852 005) is owned by the New Woodland Partners who applied to rezone and annex the property that sits along Interstate 5 next to the Costco at Paul Petrovich's Gateway Center (which borders the parcel on the west). The parcel is also bounded on the east by another Petrovich parcel called the Dinsdale Property and on the south by Petrovich's land distinguished as Gateway Phase II (labeled "Woodland Auto Development" in the diagram above).

On March 6, 2009, the New Woodland Partners - represented by Mintier Harnish planning consultants - submitted their general plan petition for rezoning for the purpose of annexation. On October 21, 2010, the City of Woodland Planning Commission reviewed the petition and then denied New Woodland Partners’ application. The partnership then filed an appeal to the city council which was scheduled to be heard on January 18. The staff report for that meeting recommended that council uphold the denial, but the item was then cancelled.

Oddly, the city council then discussed "APN 027 852 005" in closed session on February 15 with no disclosure of purpose in open session. The real estate exception in the California Brown Act narrowly and strictly defines what can be discussed in closed session. The exception is limited "to grant authority to its negotiator regarding the price and terms of payment for the purchase, sale, exchange, or lease." That's it. (See the Brown Act.)

Read more at WoodlandRecord.com.