Coffee Contagion

A Starbucks in Sand City is not enough. A Starbucks in Del Rey Oaks is not enough. Three Starbucks in Monterey are not enough.

No. Seaside needs a Starbucks, too.

At a March 24 meeting, the Seaside Planning Commission was expected to make quick work of an application for a Starbucks Coffee at the busy intersection of Del Monte and Canyon Del Rey boulevards.

The new outlet will feature a drive-thru window on a 12,005-square-foot parcel owned by the city and managed through the redevelopment agency. The coffee shop will occupy the northwest corner, in front of Laguna Grande shopping center. The city will either lease the property or make a purchase/lease deal.

After the planning commission reviews the project, the California Coastal Commission must also have a look, due to the property’s proximity to Roberts Lake.

The Starbucks project should have two more chain eateries arrive nearby in the coming months—an Outback Steakhouse in front of the Kmart and a Chili’s restaurant across from Seaside City Hall on Canyon Del Rey Boulevard. [AS]

Mee Mulls Natividad

County Supervisors were expected on Tuesday to give Mee Memorial Hospital an additional 30 days to submit a proposal to either buy or partner with Natividad Medical Center. At press time, the Supervisors had not reached a decision.

In January, the Supes asked hospitals, health care systems and management firms to submit letters of interest in acquiring or managing Natividad. Four firms responded by the February deadline. Only Mee Memorial, a 45-bed hospital in King City, asked for an extension.

Also at the Board’s March 23 meeting, Natividad CEO Dr. Chad Chadwick was scheduled to give a presentation about the hospital’s financial situation. While Natividad is expected to end the fiscal year with a small profit, it’s headed towards an $8 million deficit in ‘04-05, Chadwick said in an earlier interview with the Weekly. “But it could go in either direction,” he said.

At the Supervisors’ previous meeting, on March 16, the Monterey County Medical Society and union representatives asked the board to ask voters to support a half-cent sales tax to bail out Natividad. Last year, a similar sales tax initiative, Measure Q, was narrowly defeated. [JL]