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SALINAS, Calif--
A lot of people are excited about a new Lowe's coming to Salinas, but one US Congressman isn't too pumped about it.
Congressman Sam Farr didn't sound too happy, Wednesday night, about the new Lowe's coming into Salinas. This is what he said to the Santa Cruz Sentinel: "If we've learned anything in this area, it's that big box stores come, box stores go. Big industries move in, big industries move out. What stays in small business."
Congressman Farr also said the city of Salinas is paving over prime ag fields which could bring in a lot more money, but according to the city, it's been a part of their plan all along.
"Salinas has been slated to grow to the north, northeast for decades and that was reinforced in our most recent general plan in the early 2000's," said Salinas Mayor Dennis Donohue. "So it's no surprise that any growth, whether it'd be commercial or residential, be in that direction."
Donohue said land on San Juan Grade and Boronda is part of that plan, but it's something Congressman Farr isn't too fond of.
"This is the struggle for the future of our area," said Farr. "Do we just become another sprawled out community, a county that ends up looking like San Jose, or do we take the credible things that we have and do make them better?"
Representative Farr said it's more important to make the ag industry economically viable since the Salinas Valley provides produce across the country.
"We want to preserve what we have," he said. "We know that we have to make it economically to do so but we don't want to fall back on what other communities have done in California history which is to sprawl out, just go next door and pave it over, cut down the trees and build houses all over the mountains."
Donohue said he respects Farr's thoughts and knows plenty of people who share Farr's concerns.
"Folks are always concerned about the potential loss of ag land and I appreciate that because I'm an ag guy, but this has been planned for growth to move in that direction for quite a long time," said Donohue.
He said the city will make hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax revenues every year through Lowe's and the big box store will provide hundreds of jobs. He also said there's still plenty of ag land for farmers in the city.
