By Erik Chalhoub, Managing Editor
A seemingly routine item on the Watsonville Planning Commission’s agenda has turned out to be full of surprises.
When the commission approved Nordic Naturals’ request on May 2 to expand its facility on Jennings Drive, there was no public comment either for or against it. It seemed to give the all-clear for a project that has been in the works since 2008.
Yet, 14 days later, the Watsonville Pilots Association filed an appeal to the city, stating, among other things, that the project could not be approved since Watsonville has not included the California Aeronautics Handbook into its General Plan. The action came as a surprise to me, since the pilots were not present at the May 2 meeting (perhaps they were unaware of the meeting beforehand?)
The appeal was scheduled to be heard at the Watsonville City Council’s meeting on June 13, setting the stage for a drawn-out, back-and-forth discussion, as these hearings often do. But then came the next surprise: At the 11th hour, the WPA sent a letter to city, pulling the appeal and allowing the development to move forward.
This is just another addition to a long saga between the WPA and the city. It again points to the dire need for the city and pilots to work together and finally come up with a solution on an updated General Plan. Watsonville officials can’t keep relying on the now 12-year outdated 2005 General Plan, and the pilots can’t continue with their knee-jerk reactions of appealing any and every instance of development near the airport.
In the end, as the lawsuits and city staff time pile up, the taxpayers are the losers.
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A while back I was driving through Walker Street, rolling along around 25 mph, when I was being tailgated. That’s a pretty common occurrence along Watsonville streets, where drivers seem to think speed limits are just a suggestion.
But after passing a shiny new sign that read “Speed Limit 30,” I soon remembered that I was in the wrong, not the person behind me, as the Watsonville City Council approved a slew of speed limit increases throughout the city earlier this year.
Now that I’ve remembered about the change, driving through Walker Street at (slightly more than) 30 mph is as smooth as can be, and makes sense, as the majority of the road is an industrial zone.
Out of the five or so roads that got a speed limit increase, Walker Street, I feel, needed it the most. I’m still baffled why Airport Boulevard from Highway 1 to Holm Road got increased to 45 mph. Some drivers treat it as an extension of the freeway, and don’t really need more encouragement to go even faster on that stretch.
Since we’re on the subject of Walker Street, can we please get stop lights on what I call the “crooked” intersection at West Beach Street?
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Erik Chalhoub can be reached at [email protected] or 761-7353.
