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In November 2019, after 45 months of negotiating, a comprehensive Development Agreement (Agreement) for the Post's property was signed with Redwood Coast Ventures, LLC, a subsidiary of Republic Development Corporation. In exchange for the development rights of the Post property, the Developer will deliver the construction of a brand new, state of the art facility. Everything will be new, including the kitchen and bar except for the Post being responsible for the furnishings. The new Post will also include a VSO office that will be served by a full-time VSO officer paid for by San Mateo County.

The new Post will also include 90 (Post only) parking spaces. This will enable the Post renting the hall and restarting Bingo as a way to produce additional income for our current and additional charities. Those dollars, in addition to the endowment revenue the Post will receive will make the Post financially stable indefinitely.

The greatest attribute of the development is the 68 apartment units with Veterans preference at below-market rates. In this area of sky-high housing costs, these units will provide meaningful, immediate and direct help for veterans.

While pleased with the signing of the Development Agreement the reality is there will be at least two years before construction can begin. The process of getting the necessary approvals from Redwood City (RWC) and other interested government agencies will likely take that much time. This is common for a project of this size  and is similar to the time frames other large developments in RWC that has taken to obtain the necessary governmental approvals. In this regard a recent event may have helped speed up that process. On August 10, 2020, using Zoom technology, the Post and four other Development Applicants made presentations to RWC City Council seeking a "Gatekeeper Process" which is designed to help the Council review and consider those projects that are seeking to amend the RWC General Plan. In this regard the Post is seeking to increase the total number of units. On behalf of the Post, the Commander spoke in favor of the project along with members of the Republic Development team. 

While the Developer is responsible for paying and obtaining the required approval certain tasks remain the responsibility of the Post. A significant example was ensuring the Post's ability to provide clear title to Redwood Coast Ventures. At no time is the Post giving up title to those portions of the project that are part of the new Post to be built, including the parking. To ensure this the Post was required to file a "Quit Title" lawsuit, the goal was to get a court judgment that Post 105 is the sole legal owner of the property and entitled to transfer title to portions of the property without concerns in the future and currently unknown person(s) or entity(ies) may claim. This action was required by the Title Insurance Company that is insuring the title to Redwood Coast Ventures.

The Quit Title lawsuit was favorably resolved at a court hearing on July 14, 2020. The Post was very anxious for this to happen, pursuant to the terms of the Agreement. The Post recently received $250,000 and the money will be used to pay the ongoing expenses of the Post.  Fortunately this money will also help pay the outstanding and ongoing attorney expenses.

Finally, the Commander would like to thank all the members who have helped make this Agreement happen. The Commander only wishes Jim Peters who passed away over two years ago, could have been here to see this happen. Jim was dedicated to making this Agreement a reality, cause he knew what this would mean for the Post. Jim, it finally happened and we are not going to forget the role you played in helping us get there. 

Commander

American Legion Post 105

Romie Bassetto