-February 29,2020-
Recreational cannabis approval expected
Morro Bay has approved two new medical use cannabis dispensaries in town but they will likely be able to sell pot on a recreational basis in coming months. City Community Development Director Scot Graham says the two retail locations in town are about month a way from getting tenant improvement approvals.One is across the street from the Bay Theater at the former copy shop and the other will be located at 1000 Quintana. In the mean time Graham says the city attorney is drafting a recreational(adult use) ordinance to be considered by city council within the next few months.The 2 operators will be Natural Healing Center (NHC), owned by Grover Beach cannabis retailer Helios Dayspring, and Perfect Union, which operates multiple retail shops in the Sacramento area, are the two businesses that are in the process of being licensed.
Oyster bar to open on Embarcadero
Grassy Bar Oyster Co ,one of two local oyster farm operators in the bay will open a retail store at 1215 Embarcadero, Suite D in coming weeks where you can taste and order oysters. The business is owned and operated by the Trevelyan family since 2009. Founder and owner George Trevelyan brings over 21 years of experience in the shellfish business.
Morro Bay is known for cultivating two types of oysters in the bay- Pacific Gold and Grassy Bar.
The second oyster farm in town is Morro Bay Oyster Company – Since 2004, founder Neal Maloney has worked to produce the freshest oysters possible for Morro Bay.
City approves plan for drive-thru coffee at car wash site
Morro Bay Planning Commission recently approved plans to remove the old car wash on Main Street to be replaced by a 600sf drive-thru coffee place. Project is proposed by Pat Mitchell of Moss Lane Ventures
Commission approves 83-unit hotel next to high school
After approvals by the planning commission the Morro Bay City Council will review an application to build a new 83-unit hotel on a vacant 2 acre parcel on Atascadero Rd next to the high school – just west of Hwy 1. A hearing on the application by the Patel family is set for March 10.
Bank of America property on the sales block
The shuttered Bank of America property at 390 Morro Bay Blvd is expected to be put up for sale as of June. Owners of the Sinclair gas station nearby say B of A will relocate their ATM in the next few weeks to their service station.The city has been told by a B of A source that the vacant bank property will be marketed and sold.The bank closed in February 2018 as more customers bank online said a spokesperson.
O’Reilly Auto Parts may lease former Dollar Tree store location
O’Reilly Auto Parts is expected to lease the former Dollar Tree location on Quintana near Albertsons say sources. Dollar Tree moved a block away to the former Cookie Crock site with their sister company Family Dollar opening next door. The O‘Reilly store would compete against fellow national chain Auto Zone and several home town auto parts suppliers.
Frog resolution expected mid-March for wastewater project
The City of Morro Bay has been working with the Environmental Protection Agency for the past several years to secure low-interest funding for the new Water Reclamation Facility project. In 2017, the Water Reclamation Facility project was selected as one of twelve projects in the nation to receive WIFIA funding during the inaugural year of the funding program.
Since the project will be receiving Federal funds, it must comply with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). One of these requirements is review by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act. This review began in June 2019.Last October 10, USFWS required a further review of the city application delaying approval of funding and plans to begin construction.
Now a new city report on the project says ”In December 2019, the decision was made by the EPA to pursue formal consultation with USFWS for the California Red Legged Frog.
While this formal consultation process requires additional time to complete, it will protect the City from potential schedule delays that would occur during construction as a result of CRLF take. The EPA requested the USFWS to expedite the formal consultation and issue their Biological Opinion (BO) by the end of January 2020. The USFWS indicated in December that they would make every effort to honor this request. However, the NO has not yet been received. Based on the latest information from EPA, the final BO will be received by March 05, 2020. The EPA has committed to completing their environmental review/checklist within a week after receipt of the final BO. This will allow the City to sign the WIFIA loan agreement and issue the construction notice to proceed for the WRF in mid-March 2020.”