Press Release: December 21, 2001
Council Approves Critical Economic Development Deal
Sunquest Project Will Bring Living Wage Jobs, Community Benefits to Northeast San Fernando Valley

The City Council today approved the Sunquest project, a key development in the Northeast Valley supported by a broad coalition of community leaders, labor groups and businesses.

Sunquest Business Park will be one of the largest new industrial projects in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. The 550,000 square foot project, located in Sun Valley, will provide 500 jobs, and will involve the safe capping of an old landfill that was never properly closed.

With the leadership of Council President Alex Padilla, the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE) and community members negotiated a Community Benefits Plan with the developer of Sunquest. This agreement will provide living wage jobs, local hiring, a neighborhood improvement fund, a youth center and other benefits to the residents of Sun Valley and the adjacent communities of Arleta and Pacoima.

"The community and the developer have worked hard to negotiate a terrific agreement that will benefit the residents of the Northeast Valley," said Roxana Tynan, director of LAANE's accountable development program. "This agreement is a model for how business, labor and communities can work together to revitalize our city."

The Sunquest Community Benefits Plan is one of the only such agreements in Los Angeles. It heralds a new approach to development that brings affected communities into the decision-making process and allows community members to identify and advocate for their needs.

The area surrounding the Sunquest development is a working-class, primarily Latino community. This community lacks many basic amenities, including proper sidewalks, storm drainage and street lights. The Community Benefits Plan will bring these improvements along with many others to residents.