New housing development coming to Salinas
SALINAS, Calif. (KION)
On Tuesday, Salinas City Council members voted 6-0 in approving a new housing development plan known as the Central Area Specific Plan.
This new plan is set to use around 760 acres of farmland in North Salinas along Boronda Road, currently zoned for farming.
With financial struggles caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, local leaders and community members say this project couldn't have come at a better time.
“We have never had this many people either directly experiencing or being vulnerable to unemployment, homelessness or disease," says Matt Huerta, an affordable housing consultant.
Huerta believes this project will lead to more recreational and educational opportunities as well as other public resources and services.
However, there were concerns brought up, such as surrounding environmental impacts caused by construction along with the possibility of more noise and traffic.
Local leaders say perhaps one of the biggest concerns arose from the Alisal School District which argued adding more housing to the area would lead to the need for more schools.
“Usually there’s a professional consultant that determines how much the fees would be that are fair. In the case of the Alisal Union School district, the fees have been set by the state of California and what the school district is saying is that those fees are not enough to pay for the new schools," says Kevin Dayton of the Salinas Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Dayton says money for this development would not come from general funding, but rather from developer impact fees.
“What you’re seeing here is a constant tension between community demands and the desire of the developer to actually make a profit when building this, and of course, behind the scenes are people waiting to move into those houses and there’s a serious shortage of housing here," says Dayton.
Local leaders say the development will take some time to complete.
They add it will feature a mix of different housing types and will allow for up to 3,900 homes.
