YORBA LINDA

Automobile repair shop owners on Arroyo Street are afraid the city’s Redevelopment Agency will force them to relocate their businesses, a move that could mean losing customers and money.

The city plans to help build a car-repair center and self-storage business where B&B; Chevrolet used to be, and to help Arroyo Street automotive businesses move into the new shops so their businesses can be included in future improvements to the Arroyo neighborhood.

The City Council voted last week to approve the new commercial project at 17071 Imperial Highway.

But some longtime business owners feel customers wouldn’t follow them to another spot if they moved out of the neighborhood they’ve been in for many years.

Alex Mikkelsen, owner of Alex’s Auto and Fleet Service, said Monday he would like to see the city invest in improvements to Arroyo Street’s existing buildings instead.

“I had two goals: To own a house here in the city where I grew up, and the other one was to own a business in Yorba Linda,” he said. “And I did it. I will not move to that new place.”