THE WESTMINSTER Police Department building in the civic center has an adjacent parking structure which might be used for parking for students at  the Le Jao Center operated by Coastline Community College (File photo).

Extension of a controversial exclusive negotiating agreement for the mixed-use development of the Civic Center will be considered Wednesday night by the Westminster City Council.

The council will consider a 90-day ENA with Sheldon Development LLC for a re-use of the 8.32-acre site that would include building a new, two-story city hall and make other improvements in city-owned buildings and landscape in exchange for the right to build condominiums.  The site is generally bounded by Westminster Boulevard on the north, 13th Street on the south, All American Way on the east and Jackson Street on the west. It’s one block east of Beach Boulevard.

At the Aug. 12 meeting, a motion to ask staff to come back with an amendment to the original agreement with Sheldon passed on a 3-2 vote, with council members Tai Do and Sergio Contreras voting no.

Contreras repeatedly asked Steve Sheldon, a principal in Sheldon Development, if the Coast Community College District – which operates the Le Jao campus of the CCCD’s Coastline Community College adjacent to the Civic Center – he had a commitment to spend $5 million for parking rights at the revised center.

“They did commit pre-COVID,” said Sheldon. Then he conceded that he believed the district would currently prefer “the status quo” of using surface parking now in the Civic Center. He added that his organization is still in discussion with the CCCD and “We are confident they will step up” and “they are committed to the process.” Under further prodding from Contreras, Sheldon said “They are committed to $5 million to buy into parking rights in the parking structure for their students.”

However, in a copy of an e-mail message obtained by The Tribune, John Weispfenning, chancellor of the college district, the top college official indicated that no deal has been finalized.

“We have not reached any agreement, not even an understanding, of any amount that Coastline would pay in the future for parking access,” he wrote.

The council will meet in closed session at 6 p.m. in which one of the items on the agenda is negotiation with Sheldon on the price and terms of payment for Civic Center property. The regular session begins at 7 p.m. via teleconferencing.