CARSON : Shopping Center Wins Approval to Proceed

The developer of a shopping complex that is expected to boost city revenues by about $2.5 million a year received approval to go ahead with the project despite concerns about traffic congestion in the area.

The City Council unanimously approved the development Monday on 76 acres bounded by Torrance Boulevard and Main, 212th and Figueroa streets. For more than 60 years the site served as an oil refinery and storage area.

Mayor Michael I. Mitoma said the project appealed to him because of the sales tax revenue retail stores would generate.

Several property owners questioned whether Torrance Boulevard, where it is spanned by the Harbor Freeway, could adequately serve the new development and the proposed Metro 2000 outlet mall nearby.

To improve traffic flow, the developer agreed to remove the sidewalk on one side of Torrance Boulevard and repaint the street to include a left-turn lane. Additional right-turn and driving lanes are also expected to ease congestion.

Studies by Carson Town Center Inc., the developer of the project, showed that the improvements they would make would decrease traffic congestion, said spokesman Allan Mackenzie. Traffic engineers estimate 20,530 cars per day will visit the new center.

Those shoppers are expected to generate about $1.9 million in sales taxes. Property taxes for the parcel will provide the city about $815,000.