An independent California news outlet, Turlock City News, used April Fools Day as a platform to make a stand. The online news outlet ran a story on Monday, April Fools Day, about a long desired bowling center finally breaking ground, a plan for the city with a population of over 69,000 that has been in development for decades. TCN, in an effort to build public awareness about who is actually in charge of building and developing property, ran the early April faux-piece about the city’s plans to break ground. Soon after the article ran, they sent out a correction and included this message,
“…the City of Turlock doesn’t build anything in town, except for streets, parks, and a small handful of city-owned buildings.”
They also went on to direct the attention to the private developers who purchase the commercially zoned property from the city to build. They allude to the fact that the city’s hands are “somewhat tied” after an area is zoned and sold. There were earlier efforts by the city – who made an exception to its zoning policy – by switching an residential zoned development into a commercial development. This move was done in hopes to possibly build a Ten Pin Lanes, but financing fell through on the multi-million dollar center and the developers are still trying to find a financier. The independent online news source did apologize, this is what they had to say,
TurlockCityNews.com apologizes to those who were misled by our April Fools’ prank. But we hope this joke, perhaps, empowered a few readers with the knowledge of how development works, and how a bowling alley really could be built in Turlock.
Bowling Center Management Online 