The City of Santa Maria denies a general plan amendment/rezone to allow a Super Walmart store on the outskirts of town. The decision was based on protecting the downtown retail area and not rezoning dwindling industrially zoned land.
The City of Santa Maria, considered by some to be a pro-growth city, has denied a general plan amendment and zone change that would have allowed a Super Walmart store to come to town (and close their existing store in town). The request was to change 55 acres of industrially zoned land to commercial at the outskirts of the City. In rendering their unanimous decision, "all of the council members alluded to the city's long-anticipated Downtown Specific Plan, which outlines revitalization for that area and notes that in order to pump life into downtown, subsequent development on the edges of town must be limited. In the end, council members said they would not debate the merits of Wal-Mart, but instead the decision came down to protecting current Santa Maria businesses, the city's stock of available industrial land and the city's work to revitalize downtown."
Thanks to Marc Bierdzinski
Read the full story: Land Use Changes Denied
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