Grover Beach California

Grover starts groundwork for selling Brighton property

Grover Beach City Council began clearing the path toward selling the community garden site at its meeting Monday night.

City officials told opponents the move doesn’t actually mean the property at 920 Brighton Ave. will be sold. 

“Initiating the process may lead to the ultimate sale of the property, but it’s not a retractable decision at this point,” City Manager Bob Perrault said.

“Whether the council ultimately makes the decision to sell the property, staff would still recommend the zone change,” he said. “It would set it up for the highest and best use, which is residential.”

But he also indicated that if Grover Beach doesn’t sell some city-owned property for $250,000, as budgeted for this fiscal year, the deficit will balloon to an estimated $450,000 and force the city to dip even deeper into its reserves.

The property, sandwiched between two homes and abutting Ramona Garden Park to the rear, is currently home to 18 community garden plots rented by 10 individuals, including four who don’t live in Grover Beach.

City officials say the garden plots could be moved to another site or even multiple sites owned by the city.

But a proposal to sell the site to the Improvement Agency in June was defeated after it failed to receive a four-fifths majority vote.

On Monday, Councilwoman Phyllis Molnar dissented in the 4-1 vote authorizing staff to begin the process of amending the General Plan and Ramona Specific Plan and changing the lot’s zoning to R-2.

“I find it pretty ironic that six months ago, when the sale (proposal) failed, there was a lot of discussion about putting in additional gardens,” Molnar said. “That never happened.”

So she questioned whether the city would follow through with putting community gardens on another site if the property is sold.

Mayor John Shoals responded that the city must be able to pay for police and fire protection as well as other services to its citizens.

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