This Week on the Central Coast
Amazon is coming to town, nationally televised fight will feature a Salinas boxer, and Watsonville will vote on agricultural land use.
An Amazon warehouse is in the works in Salinas
Specific details of an Amazon warehouse being constructed in Salinas are scarce. The city signed a non-disclosure agreement which barred city officials from talking about the project. Officially, the construction of the warehouse has only been discussed and no further details have been confirmed. However, job openings for Amazon have been listed in Salinas.
According to a development review application, the warehouse would be a massive five-story, 2.8 million square foot building and would staff about 1,500 employees. The main concerns to the city would be a disruption in traffic around the warehouse as hundreds of semi-trucks would be in use throughout the day. The developer said they plan to construct more lanes and a bus stop in the area to help limit traffic congestion.
While the plans are far from finalized, soil samples crews were spotted in the area, which is another step in the purchasing process. The city said no environmental impact report has been scheduled because one had already been done before talks began. This project will surely get more attention in the news as details are finalized.
Local boxer will be featured in a nationally televised fight
Justin “The Stallion” Cardona will be fighting Joshua Draughter on February 26 in Las Vegas. The Salinas local is undefeated thus far, holding a 6-0 record, four of those wins by knockout.
Cardona started boxing at seven years old at the Salinas Boxing Club in East Salinas. Currently, he trains with Mad Dog - Guerrero Boxing in Gilroy. The father-son team of trainers are both former professional boxers, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero and Ruben Guerrero.
Cardona graduated from Everette Alvarez High School and continues to live in East Salinas.
Watsonville will vote on an extension of Measure U
Measure U dictates where new developments can be constructed in the city. The boundaries within the measure prevent construction on certain farmlands and wetlands. If it were to expire without an extension, developers would have access to previously protected lands. If the extension is approved, the building limits would be secured until 2040.
Those who are in favor of extending the measure argue that there are around 150 empty lots within the city that can be used for affordable housing. “Building apartments in those lots would stabilize rents faster than building homes that only rich people, or people from outside of Watsonville, could afford.”
For more information about Measure U and the efforts behind extending it, you can visit the Watsonville Planned Growth website.
