Watsonville council urged to flip McDonald's OK

By Donna Jones

djones@santacruzsentinel.com @DonnaJonesSCS on Twitter

WATSONVILLE >> Not so fast.

Opponents plan to urge the Watsonville City Council to rescind its OK for a downtown 24-hour drive-through McDonald's.

The council approved construction of the fast food restaurant at Main Street near Riverside Drive on a 6-0 vote Tuesday. But the project requires changes to an ordinance governing drive-through restaurants. The council is scheduled to take a second vote on that provision Oct. 14.

Wednesday morning, DigitalNest founder Jacob Martinez launched a Facebook campaign aimed at getting opponents to the Oct. 14 meeting. By afternoon, more than three dozen people had signed on.

"There are many people in this community that have been working to make Watsonville a cultural hub along the Central Coast," Martinez said. "We need downtown Watsonville to be a cultural center, which will draw in visitors and support our economy. Fast food is not going to bring visitors into Watsonville. What McDonald's will be is a message that we support unhealthy food and lifestyles."

In giving the restaurant the go-ahead, council members said replacing long vacant and neglected buildings with a McDonald's wasn't their first choice, but the only option available after a Walgreens proposal fell through last year and no one else emerged to invest in the property.

"We have someone from our community willing to make that commitment and the reputation to make it successful," said Councilwoman Trina Coffman-Gomez.

Tila Guerrero and son Martin, who own McDonald's restaurants on Main Street near Target and on Freedom Boulevard, proposed the third location.

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Watsonville council urged to flip McDonald's OK