Several Millbrae Businesses Shut Down

City tax revenues will decline as many local stores are either going out of business or closing for renovations.

Recently, Daland Nissan and Goodyear Millbrae shut down, and to follow are Millbrae Lumber, , Wendy’s and . Additionally, the Clarion will be closed for renovation until at least July 2012, and Safeway will demolish and rebuild its store from January to November.

Although the exact tax amount each business pays to the city is confidential and not public record, a city official who spoke on the condition of anonymity estimates that about $800,000 in taxes will go uncollected as a result of the closures.  

Several of these businesses are on Redevelopment Agency property – land that is set aside to combat blight and spur development. But currently, Millbrae cannot move forward with any projects on RDA land because of a statewide lawsuit that may save or disband the agencies.

“We’re just sitting with vacant properties. We’re on pause, and it’s a big economic hole,” said Dan Rogers, a local realtor and part of the RDA's Site 1 development team, which lies west of the BART station.

Site 1 includes Millbrae Lumber, which will close on Oct. 14. In the next two weeks, after 81 years in business, it will liquidate its inventory at 40 and 50 percent off.

“I will miss the customers the most,” said Sandra Latimer, Millbrae Lumber office manager. 

She said she was one of the newbies out of the 11 employees, having spent only 7 years working there. Five of the employees, many who have worked at the lumber yard for more than 20 years, will retire.

Wendy’s will be , and a new restaurant will likely move into Burger King, according to Vice Mayor Marge Colapietro. And, while Putnam Burlingame bought Daland Nissan, the future of the dealership’s site has yet to be determined.

and other cities’ RDAs are in limbo until at least January, when courts are expected to decide on the agencies’ fate.