Patch Readers Fired Up Over New Downtown Fast Food Restaurant

A decision by the Watsonville City Council this week to sell a piece of property at the end of Main Street to a developer who plans to build a fast food restaurant was met with criticism from Watsonville Patch readers.

Plans fell through to develop property, at 190 Main St., as a Walgreens. Instead, Coastal Realty Investors bought the site from the city. It currently includes the former Oda's barbershop, Caesar's Card Room and TV Repair Shop, according to the Register Pajaronian. 

The investors are working on an agreement to bring a fast food eatery to the location, which is near the corner of Main Street and Riverside Drive. No official announcement has been made to reveal which restaurant is coming in, but there are rumors swirling that it will be a McDonalds. The city already has two McDonalds.

The majority of Watsonville Patch readers who have weighed in on the matter are against the new restaurant.

• Rich and Maria: Another mcdonalds???? Too bad its not a fresh choice or something healthy...
• Richard: OH NO, Not another McDonald's, Why not In and Out or something different!
  
• Maria: Hell no!!
• Nicoya: No town needs a McDonalds.

There's also a general critique of the businesses being attracted to Watsonville: 

• Jaime: Watsonville needs better diversity in restaurants and in shops. Then we wonder why people go shop in other towns. A third McDonald's really does not make sense.
  
• Roberto: Yeah we need lots of fast food restaurants to keep up with the number of dress shops and mini malls. Perhaps what city planners need to do is to look at towns like Healdsberg, Petaluma, Mountain View and perhaps even Sunnyvale and duplicate that model. Focus on a tax policy that will attract decent paying jobs!!! Too many of them are in Reno or Sparks, Nevada. Why is that?
• MDJ: We need a good buffet, a Spanish movie theater, a club, an arcade
• Cathy: Unbelieveable! How exactly does another fast food joint help to revitalize downtown? What about Alejo's movement regarding eliminating childhood obesity? I'm speechless!

But a few people did show support for the development: 

• Yolanda: We need to fill up the empty lots and building on our Main Street in town Watsonville.
• Sylvia: McDonald's doesn't sound like a good idea. But at least they'll be something downtown cuz it sucks now!
• Andy: Lower main ? Perfect

What do you think of the proposal? Share your thoughts in the comment stream below.