Walgreens Approved, Watsonville Speaks Out

The 100 block of Main Street will welcome a new Walgreens by January 2014 if all goes to plan.

The Watsonville City Council unanimously agreed to fork over city-owned property to a developer who is aiming to break ground on the drug store by May, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reported. 

According to the Sentinel, "the proposed 15,000-square-foot store is expected to generate $4 million to $7 million in taxable sales, bringing, according to city officials, an estimated $40,000 in new sales tax revenue."

Tuesday morning, Wastonville residents over on the Watsonville Patch Facebook page shared their opinions on the prospect of a new Walgreens. See their thoughts below and add your own in the comments section. 

Dan: Wages/taxes stay local, but profits - which build a community in the long run - are sucked back to their corporate HQ.

Jennifer: I don't go to the one we already have.

Jessica: We don't need duplicate stores in Watsonville. We need something different, we need options.

Inquiring Mind: Technically, the current Walgreens is in Freedom, so this is not really a duplicate store. Having a Walgreens on the other side of town is a good idea....although it's not really "downtown." Incentives should be given to businesses willing to locate downtown.

Sarah: I don't think another pharmacy related store is needed in Watsonville.

Melodie: No! We need a Trader Joe's.