Wednesday, October 25, 2000 Council could drop developer unless groundbreaking is set   By Jason Gewirtz, Staff writer LONG BEACH Vice Mayor Dan Baker said Tuesday that if Queensway Bay's developer does not give the city a groundbreaking date in two weeks, he will request that the city cut ties with the company. Baker met Tuesday with representatives of Developers Diversified Realty, Queensway Bay's Ohio-based developer, to discuss the status of the $100 million waterfront project. Afterward, he said he was skeptical of the project's time line. DDR representatives told him they could break ground within four weeks. "They are still optimistic they'll be able to work out a deal," Baker said. "I'm not nearly as optimistic." Baker said that he wants to receive a groundbreaking date and a commitment by Nov. 7 from the DDR Board of Directors and financial backers, as well as from tenants in the first phase of the project. If not, he said, he will ask the City Council to declare that the company has defaulted on its agreement with the city. A spokesman for DDR said the company "empathizes" with city officials' desire to move forward with the project as quickly as possible. "We don't see (Baker's deadline) as a threat," spokesman Jeff Adler said. "We would like nothing better than to have everything settled by Nov. 7, if not sooner." Baker, whose 2nd District includes the waterfront, said his idea could win favor with the rest of the council. "I think there's been a tremendous discontent for this project for quite some time," he said. "With the right nudge, this will pass the council." The downtown development project has been met with a series of delays and is more than a year behind schedule. Two weeks ago, the city announced that it would consider changing the development plans after a second theater company that had signed a lease declared bankruptcy before the project could break ground. Resort Theaters of America was the city's choice to replace Edwards Theaters, which dropped out after declaring bankruptcy in August. A multiplex theater was considered a key element of the development. The original concept called for an 18-acre dining, entertainment and retail complex along the downtown waterfront between the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and the Aquarium of the Pacific. It has been considered an essential component in redeveloping the downtown area. Baker said he hopes to see a groundbreaking date set for at least the first phase of the project, which will be south of Shoreline Drive. Councilman Ray Grabinski, who has been critical of the project's progress, said he wanted to get more information about Baker's request before endorsing it. But he said the city should have seen more progress on the development by now. "We're long overdue," he said of the project. Staff Writer John Cox contributed to this report.