There has been much talk about Great America lately because, after 50 years, it looks like it is going to close. And what a tremendous loss that would be, and not necessarily for the reason you may think. Great America is more than a theme park, and we will feel its loss for generations.
When the City acquired the land from Marriott through the Santa Clara Redevelopment Agency in 1985, it purchased both the land and the assets. We knew that we wanted to keep a theme park, and we protected it accordingly.
But there have been several transactions since that time that created confusion and underline the thought that “all city land transactions are more than just land transactions and have to be made with a view of the larger vision for the city”. Council members should not be approving sales because of short-term need, and staff should not be suggesting land sales without a larger analysis. It does not seem that the Great America property had either of those guardrails in affect when the city sold the land to Cedar Fair. But it was clear that the Great America property was owned by the Redevelopment Agency, which had been dissolved, and in 2015 the then council (which included Lisa Gillmor, Teresa O’Neill, and other members who has worked with Gillmor & Associates) voted to put Great America on the list to sell. This was a decisive vote, but for many it was just another Tuesday.
More to come