Dollar Store Proposal Times Out

The Gilroy man who wants to open a discount shop in Watsonville's downtown couldn't make the Watsonville Planning Commission on Tuesday, meaning consideration of the business proposal will be postponed until the fall.

The new dollar store would be at 375 Main St., the former Coast Savings and Loan location. The spot is currently vacant.

drew ire from Patch readers, who were opposed to the store opening to an area already heavily populated with discount shopping experiences.

"I don't think that another 99 cent or dollar store is what is needed. That doesn't attract more traffic to the downtown," reader Martha P. Quintana commented. "That is why many of us go out of town."

"Unless there remains a crying need locally for more suppliers of cheap trinkets, predominately of Chinese import, that leaves a more somber possibility of there being no major retailers or even a more diverse selection of small businesses detecting any opportunities downtown to attract them," reader Steve Bankhead commented.

The business proposal was tabled Tuesday. It will be back on the planning commission agenda for the Sept. 4 meeting.