By Terry Miller
There have been huge changes in Arcadia’s infrastructure and architecture lately, not to mention the windmill spinning counterclockwise – perhaps indicating that we can, in fact, go back in time. But for Rusnak, the beat of the contractors’ hammer is finally near completion and the dramatic new showroom is now open for those who are able to afford the luxury automobile.
Since the statewide dissolution of redevelopment agencies, the City of Arcadia had been contending with new property requirements to help Rusnak Mercedes-Benz with its decade-plus-old plan for expansion.
In 2011, Arcadia’s former Redevelopment Agency acquired the last parcel of a two-acre site that it intended to sell to Rusnak as part of a development deal. That plan would help the dealership expand to six acres. But, because of the December 2011 California Supreme Court decision to eliminate redevelopment agencies, the Rusnak Mercedes-Benz dealership expansion was stalled.
However, move on five years and all is quiet on the Western Front.
Now that all the squabbling is over, I’m sure to the relief of the Rusnak family – the new gigantic showroom is complete and open for business. You cannot miss it, especially at night.
The dealership, at 101 N. Santa Anita Ave., features a new building with more than 241,000 square feet of space, including a 40,000-square-foot showroom and another 43,000 square feet of space dedicated to the new service area.
The Arcadia location is apparently one of the largest in the nation.
Formerly located in Pasadena, the dealership moved to Arcadia in 2002. In 2005, Arcadia signed an agreement with Rusnak, assuring the dealership that it would attempt to secure five adjacent properties, about 4.5 acres in total, for future development.
The dealership was obligated to fulfill the minimum capacity requirements of Mercedes-Benz USA. If the dealership failed to acquire a necessary 14 acres, Rusnak would have to look elsewhere for business, causing a significant revenue loss for the city.
Rusnak Mercedes-Benz offers a large inventory of high-performance luxury cars, including the Mercedes-Benz sedans, coupes, SUVs, crossovers, roadsters, and supercars, and hybrid mod.
The first thing visitors see when they enter the building is a massive showroom with two large display screens and a winding stairway that leads to the second floor. A variety of cars, including the B250e electric sedan, are on display. The 2016 B250e is priced at $48,590 and gets the equivalent of 85 miles per gallon on the highway.
