SEASIDE, Calif. – Its been an ongoing
battle since 1994 when the former Army base, Fort Ord, was closed down, and since
then, ideas, as what to do with the land, have come and gone.
Tuesday
night, the city of Seaside will host an
informational meeting to discuss the possibility of moving forward with the
Monterey Downs development.
The
development includes a housing section, shopping village and an aquatic center
and tennis courts.
But
one organization says not so fast. They have several questions, and they feel
they should be answered before moving forward.
Fort Ord Recreational Users
asks, "What makes this possible?" and, "Are the residential sales going to
drive the commercial future?"
According
to Monterey Downs website, the development would be 550 acres and sit in the
Parker Flats area of the Army base. The development is said to bring in more
than 3,000 jobs to the area.
Hundreds
of these jobs would include the daily construction and 800 to 1,800 permanent
equestrian jobs with the proposed horse racing track and training facilities.
But
there are still questions FORU wants answered.
"How
is this going to be built, where is the funding source from this? And what is
the order of having it built? Give us a scheduling, a scheduling of
development. Tell us when these jobs, when you think these buildings are going
to be built," asked Gail Morton, a FORU coordinator and Marina City Council
candidate.
The
website also claims with the development will come an economic boost of $100
million per year.
Morton
told me economist say the demand for these types of developments will not be
for decades so let the community enjoy it until then.
The meeting begins at 6 PM
and will be held at the Oldemeyer Center
on Hillby in Seaside. The community
is encouraged to attend and tell the council what fears they have about the
environment and development.
