Plans for vacant building in Salinas raise concerns

Several local Salinas business associations are speaking out, urging Monterey County not to move forward with its plan to acquire the vacant Capital One property for county use.

The Salinas Valley Chamber sent a letter to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors Monday, detailing why the possible acquisition of the property at 1441 Schilling Place would have far-reaching impacts.

The Chamber is asking supervisors to hear public input first.

On Tuesday, the board of supervisors did not discuss the possible Capital One building acquisition. During public comment, a member of the Chamber spoke during public comment about the chamber’s concerns and the letters that were sent to the county.

The county said during public comment, Supervisor Armenta acknowledged that the Chamber’s letters were received and efforts would be made to talk with the Chamber about its concerns. No other board members commented and this item wasn’t on the agenda.

The Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Oldtown Salinas Association, and the Salinas United Business Association said while they recognize there may be some cost benefits to the County, there are too many potentially negative impacts like how the County’s relocation of workers away from the downtown area would have the opposite effect.

The Chamber said the property located in an agricultural and industrial area is poorly designed for handling additional traffic flow. The Chamber said it’s worried about the domino effect on other development planning work that has been going on for years, including the Alisal Marketplace.