A downtown community forum was held on Thursday in Morro Bay for members of the public and City Council members to discuss the future of Downtown Morro Bay.
This conversation is in the beginning stages.
At the meeting, the city proposed the discussion topics including; downtown character, downtown height, housing opportunities, and economic development.
Morro Bay Council member Cyndee Edwards said the city wants to have comfortable change for the community by trying to preserve the city’s character but also allow economic development to happen at the same time.
“What the character of Morro Bay is, is an important part of this in my opinion. Once we have that definition then we can design a set of guidelines to maintain that character that we want to preserve,” Montgomery said.
Some walked away from the meeting feeling hopeful.
“The density in something like the downtown core could be a really sensible way to provide that housing that we’re required to provide-in a way that’s hitting a population that could add a lot to our community,” Stewart said.
Susan Stewart owner of Beads by the Bay said she thinks the community could benefit from the potential changes discussed in the meeting.
“It helps the economy all the way around so that folks who are working here could also live here. Maybe they also shop here, eat here, and go to the coffee shops to support the local economy,” Stewart said.
She said it could be good for business.
“They’re patronizing the businesses or a lot of our business owners who can’t find workers because workers can’t afford to live here and traveling here is too expensive,” Stewart said.
Geoff Montgomery owner Morro Bay Butcher and Deli was at the meeting and says there's room for change and growth but he wants it to be guided.
“As a business owner in Morro Bay, yes, I'd like to see more customers and more people coming through the doors, but I don't want that at the cost of losing what drew us to Morro Bay in the first place,” Montgomery said.
He moved from Wyoming to Morro Bay for a small town experience.
He says some of the similarities he sees in Morro Bay parallel what happened in Wyoming and why he wanted to move away.
“Rents are skyrocketing and development came in,” Montgomery said.
However, he is optimistic about the future.
“There’s no magic bullet, there's no one decision that’s going to make everything better and the more involvement that the public has and the more say that we are given as well as participate in, I think the better,” Montgomery said.
Edwards said at the next meeting on Wednesday, November 8, they will discuss the information they received from the public.
