WATSONVILLE—The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved a beer and wine alcohol license for an incoming Arco AM/PM convenience store on the city’s outskirts, but not before raising several concerns about future developments in that area.
The gas station and convenience store is part of “Juggy” and Haj Tut’s ongoing facelift of the Lee Road and W. Beach Street intersection, which includes the 112-room Hampton Inn & Suites hotel as its centerpiece.
The Tuts scored highly on the City’s so-called “alcohol-related uses rubric,” which measures applicants on their business and safety and security plans, among other things. But the council was concerned about the “oversaturation” of alcohol licenses in the area’s census tract, something they worried would only get worse once restaurants started to move into three currently vacant sites of the 75 Lee Road rebuild.
The council also expressed concerns about fast food restaurants moving into those sites. The area is also one of the few locations in city limits in which a cannabis dispensary can operate under the city’s new regulations.
“I get that we need tax revenue, I understand that it will bring jobs, but I do want to emphasize health and the well-being of the community,” Councilman Francisco “Paco” Estrada said. “I don’t want exit 129 to be known as the ‘vice’ exit [where people can] pick up whatever bad, unhealthy thing is available.”
The council approved the license in a 6-1 decision. Mayor Rebecca J. Garcia was the lone “no” vote.
According to the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) agency, the census tract in which the Lee Road rebuild is located now has five off-site sale alcohol licenses, surpassing its recommendation of three for the population of 1,223. The Chevron gas station across the street holds one, the Santa Cruz KOA on San Andreas Road has another, the Pajaro Dunes Company on Shell Drive also has permission for off-site sales and the El Patio Liquor in La Selva Beach can also sell alcohol to-go.
The area is also designated as a “high crime” area, meaning that the number of reported crimes is 20% greater than the average number of reported crimes in other areas of the same jurisdiction.
The Watsonville Police Department, however, in a letter to ABC recommended its approval because the businesses will have limited alcohol sales, is a well-established business with a proven track record and will install at least 13 security cameras with a digital recording system, among other things.
But Garcia was unwilling to approve the project despite WPD’s recommendation, saying that it didn’t change the fact that the area is oversaturated with alcohol licenses and is a high-crime area.
The Planning Commission was split 3-3 on the license’s approval during its meeting earlier this month.
