The Scotts Valley City Council Race is the most contested it’s been in years. Three incumbents – Randy Johnson, Donna Lind, Dene Bustichi – and two new candidates – Rosanna Herrera, Jack Dilles – are contesting for the three seats on the council. With a lot of action recently on the business development scene for Scotts Valley, we asked the five candidates about their vision for the future.
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1) Do you support economic development that includes Town Center, the 1440 Center and new hotels in the area?
Randy Johnson: Economic development is imperative for Scotts Valley’s long-term stability and improvement. The town center represents an extremely important cog in the community vision of what our city should be. It will not only provide needed retail opportunities for the community, but will be a place where people can gather and enjoy a true downtown. The council has kept that vision intact, even when less attractive offers from developers were made. Not only will new hotels provide an amazing source of revenue for the city, but retailers recognize that four to five hundred new hotel guests every few days will be valuable customers throughout the city, especially at the town center. It is a true win-win for the entire community.
Dene Bustichi: 1440 Multi University is a great addition to our city. Their arrival and redevelopment of the vacant Bethany Campus helped the City avoid a long-term problem of a derelict property. The redevelopment of the campus will bring hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue to the City, helping local business and creating jobs.
Hotels bring a unique kind of revenue to our city, Transient Occupancy Tax can generate approximately $500,000 in revenue per year and is low impact on the community as visitor’s traffic pattern is during off peak hours and visitors are here to enjoy the many things that this county has to offer.
The Town Center is on the way with purchase agreements approved and development agreement approved with a new developer. We are closer than ever to the dream of a pedestrian friendly community gem for all.
Donna Lind: I support sensible economic development. 1440 Multiversity brings a beautiful campus providing corporate teambuilding as well as family & marital counseling programs to the abandoned Bethany campus. The Residence Marriot will be the first extended stay hotel in Santa Cruz County that will partner with local corporations. The Lexington Hotel provides a midrange hotel to compliment existing hotels. The Lexington Hotel replaced a former rental & rock business that had been closed. These three developments will generate $1.5 Million in TOT taxes to the City to support local services yet do not impact our schools or police services. Two of these developments replace businesses that used more energy & water and involved more traffic than the new projects will use. Each of the new developments in they City includes state of the art energy/water conservation technology.
Jack Dilles: The Town Center Specific Plan provides a clear road map. I have high hopes that the Town Center will be a beautiful addition to our community. I support careful planning and open communication.
The ad hoc development of two large hotels, 1440 project and 100+ homes was approved with little accommodation for traffic impacts. The 1,000+ additional visitors and residents will challenge our already stressed infrastructure and create problems down the line. Developer agreements have given away $2.4 million in risky or unnecessary concessions. The City should expect developers to fully meet their obligations and pay for the full costs of projects. Scotts Valley is a special place and it is the Council’s job to protect the long-term interests of the City.
Rosanna Herrera: I support economic development that supports and is advantageous to the community. The Town Center — not in the center of town, I do not support another strip mall, I would support local businesses in conjunction with residential housing as long as it is affordable — meaning housing that our teachers, police officers and fire fighters can afford. 1440 Foundation is a great addition to our community, however the city was naive in making the deal to fast track the project. The city for all intent and purposes, ensured the financing for the hotel on Scotts Valley Drive.
2) What changes would you want to see in Scotts Valley over the next 10 years?
Rosanna Herrera: Participation from the community, transparency for those that want to know and full disclosure from our city government. Bring City Hall into the 21st century; prioritize infrastructure, fiscal responsibility, planned growth – development that is advantageous to our community, representation and action for our citizens with disability, consideration for our biking community … I could go on…
Jack Dilles:
- A Town Center that is welcoming and creatively designed – a heart for our City.
- The most advanced digital technology available for business and personal uses.
- Well-planned and well-maintained roads, parks and recreational facilities.
- More trees along Scotts Valley Drive.
- A pedestrian and bike friendly community.
- A city that is clean, lively, and welcoming to everyone.
- A diversity of housing to meet the needs of workers, families and seniors.
- Updated industrial areas filled with smaller light tech, environmentally friendly companies that provide good wages.
- ADA accessibility in our parks, roads, and public buildings.
- More activities and venues for our youth.
With careful planning, imagination and open engaging communication, our vision can become a reality.
Donna Lind: I look forward to building the Town Center to include pedestrian walkways and green areas while connecting the adjacent shopping centers. Having served 40 years with the Scotts Valley Police Department, I look forward to working with our new City Manager in the hiring of a new Police Chief & Administrative Manager. I believe I can be an asset in the success of this transition. With the new development projects moving forward, I look forward to economic recovery and being able to recover the officers & city positions that were cut and/or frozen during the Great Recession.
I also look forward to partnering with the Scotts Valley Water District in proposed projects that inject water into the groundwater basin.
Dene Bustichi: I am not looking to change Scotts Valley and for those that want to, I would say why? This is a great community with great amenities, parks, streets, sidewalks and new library. While we can always improve the good qualities of our City, changing is not what we should be looking to do.
The completion of the Performing Arts Center, the Town Center, the economic development we have created will allow us to keep Scotts Valley safe, clean and governed by the people of Scotts Valley for years to come. Let’s Keep Scotts Valley Scotts Valley
Randy Johnson: One of the ongoing comments I have heard from many community members throughout the city is, “If it ain’t broke, down fix it.” I thank them for that compliment, as there is much to be thankful for with respect to what our city has become: safe, amazing police force, fabulous new library, beautiful fields and rec programs, famers market, good schools and teachers and the list goes on … But we should not become complacent.
Morning and evening traffic at Granite Creek and Mt. Hermon are challenges that we can improve upon. Working with the school district to provide for a community pool is a goal that I have supported and with new hotels and enhanced revenue sources is now truly viable.