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Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee speaks at the UCSB North County Economic Summit in Santa Maria on May 6.
A new retail project will bring Lowe’s and HomeGoods to Santa Maria and re-establish the city as a regional retail hub.
That was the message City Manager Rick Hayden brought to the UCSB North County Economic Summit on May 6.
He said that Betteravia Plaza will host a relocated Costco and other shops.
The new offerings will include a Habit Burger Grill and Chick-Fil-A. He said part of the goal is to replace sales tax revenue that declined when San Luis Obispo opened a large Costco a decade ago.
Hayden said a separate Broadway Point project will bring a Hampton Inn to the northern part of Santa Maria. A third project, Enos Ranchos, will include residential and retail, he said.
However, Hayden said the city is nearing build out with more than 1,100 housing units under construction.
Separately, UCSB economist Peter Rupert said the U.S. and California economies continue to recover at a sub par pace. Although there are few signs of a recession, “The recovery is getting a bit long in the tooth,” he warned.
