Is it true the City closed down a local gun shop because they wanted to buy the property for the new fire station and were trying to force the owners into selling?
Despite a fairly robust social media campaign indicating the contrary, no, this isn’t true. The City did have an interest in this property for the construction of the new Fire Station No. 2, which was approved by voters in the 2023 General Obligation Bond Election.
As such, City staff approached the operators of the business several months ago to gauge their interest in selling the property or trading the property for the existing station.
City staff was informed that the operators were not, in fact, the actual owners of the property, but that a third owner was. The City took no further action after this meeting.
Months later, the City received notice from one of the business operators who City staff had contacted, demanding that the City pay two of the three owners $100,000 each. For reasons that are still unclear to us, the demand alleged the money was owed because the City had forced the business to close. This, as stated, is completely false.
The owners have been advised on numerous occasions that the City had merely inquired about their interest in selling or trading properties. As they were not the actual owners, no offer was made to the operators, and in fact, no offer has been made to the actual owner.
Despite numerous reassurances that the City has not done anything to cause the business to close, nor does it have any intention of doing so, this misinformation continues to make the rounds on social media. But beyond a very basic inquiry that went nowhere, none of it is based in fact.