Paso Robles May Get 225 Room Resort
The City of Paso Robles is studying a plan for a new 225 room resort hotel off Highway 46 and east of 101. The Ayers Resort Hotel project is the subject of a formal environmental review and is located on 20 acres at the northeast corner of Buena Vista Dr and Experimental Station Rd. The city began the review in February. The negative declaration ends June 22 ,suggesting their are few issues.
New Winery Planned
Doug Thomsen is seeking a county permit to build a 6340 sf winery on Vineyard Dr near Paso Robles on a 36 acre parcel. Thomsen owns Orchard Hill Farm Bed and Breakfast nearby.
Dynegy: No NPDES Permit For Morro Bay
The owner of the Morro Bay Power Plant has informed the state California Energy Commission that it wishes to eliminate any more phases to modernize the aging power plant now – after removal of the old tank farm. In letters received May 22 and June 11,2012, Dynegy clarified that it would not seek a un updated National Pollution Discharge Elimination System(NPDES) permit required to continue operations on a long term basis.
The letter appears to confirm Dynegy’s plan to shutter the plant. In a May 30 press release, Dynegy said “ Until recently, output from the facility was under contract to a local utility. That contract was cancelled in mid-May and the cancellation will likely result in a shift of earnings and cash flows between periods. Dynegy is actively seeking other commercial arrangements for the facility and has been offering the facility’s output in the day-ahead market administered by the California Independent System Operator since May 19, 2012”
Seeking a new NPDES permit would require the company to offer a long range plan to quit use of the practice of once through cooling, banned by the state in 2010 with a deadline of 2015. The Morro Bay plant is one of 19 coastal power plants that rely on ocean water as a coolant.
Still,the Houston_based company continues an optimistic tone in their news release saying that”Dynegy has no plans to retire the facility at this time, and as long as the plant is economically viable, Dynegy will continue to operate it.”
But not without a new permit.
City Sales Tax Receipts Up 13%
San Luis Obispo city sales tax revenues received in May 2012 for sales occurring from October through December 2011 were up by 11.7% compared with the same quarter last year. This follows a 9.1%
increase last quarter. Total tax receipts were up 13%. This is the 7th consecutive quarter of recovery following 11 quarters of decline.
Statewide,retail sales in the final quarter of 2011 were up 7.8% compared to the same period in 2010. Strong 4th quarter sales brought statewide calendar year 2011 within 7.25% of the pre-recession peak reached in 2006. At their 2009 low point, retail sales were 18.6% below their 2006 highs.
The city’s tax newsletter says retail sales have risen on strong demand for new autos, increased consumer spending, significant use tax receipts from alternative energy projects and federal stimulus funded
infrastructure projects. However, rising fuel costs and continued
economic uncertainties are expected to slow the rate of growth in the
second half of this year.
More Sales OnLine
Retailers downsizing is creating new opportunities and challenges.
A recent survey concluded that 53% of the U.S. population has
made an online purchase and that 7% of all retail sales are now done
over the Internet. With mobile and tablet shopping capabilities making online purchases ever easier, Internet market share is expected to hit 9% by 2016.
The ease of online research has sharpened price competition and
brick and mortar retailers are racing to accommodate the new consumer patterns by focusing on enhancing the shopping experience. This includes the development of more intimate shopping environments, use of social media to reach buyers, higher levels of customer service, specialized merchandise that cannot be purchased elsewhere and expanding the selection of goods offered with in-store kiosks supplemented with timely deliveries.
To cut overhead and compete on price, more retailers are going to
the “endless aisle” concept of selling items not actually in the store.
This allows the retailer to increase product variety in a smaller space.
Almost every major retailer has plans for either downsizing the
footprint of new stores or subleasing space in existing stores.
On the plus side, this trend allows entrance into retail markets too
small for large format stores to be feasible. Less populous communities could find their retail bases growing with new compact stores offering the same or more merchandise as their larger counterparts.
Communities with substantial existing retail could see new challenges in filling vacated space while also keeping up with the need for more inviting shopping environments says the newsletter.
More visitors stayed in San Luis Obispo County in June at local hotels. Smith Travel Research shows SLO County accommodations sold 11.4% more rooms in June than the same month the year before.RevPAR was up a strong 13.8% while occupancy was up 8.9%. Occupancy stood at 76.5% compared to 70.3% in June 2011.
