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include a large grocery store
and a large manufacturer of bi-
cycle apparel – the City practic-
es a “down-to-earth” approach
to customer service.
“We’re a small community, so
folks can walk right into city
hall and be able to talk to plan-
ners, to the Community De-
velopment Director, or to my-
self if they have any issues or
questions,” Matthew says. “We
pride ourselves on providing a
customized, personal service to
our business customers.”
“We also work very effectively
with the South County Cham-
ber of Commerce,” he adds.
“We work closely with them to
make sure we’re aware of busi-
ness needs, that we’re consid-
ering their input, and that we’re
making policy decisions based
that will help local business be
successful.”
“Our City Council is very
pro-business,” he says. “They
are pro-development in the
right places and the right ways.
The Council approaches their
policies based on an appreci-
ation of what businesses do in
the community. We recognize
that they’re the backbone to
our economy, and we do what
we can in city government to
provide an environment where
they can flourish.”
In order to provide that kind of
environment, city government
has turned their attention to im-
proving local infrastructure, in-
cluding city streets. In the past,
the condition of city streets
was often “neglected,” Matthew
says, with maintenance being
deferred over a long time given
limited funding. Recently, how-
ever, voters approved nearly
$50 million in funding to help
improve local streets – which
is a very significant investment
for a city of Grover Beach’s size.
In response, over the last few
years, the city has been busy
upgrading their streets – repav-
ing neglected streets, adding
sidewalks, adding curb ramps,
and more. By 2020, they will
have repaired 50 per cent of all
local streets.
MAY 2019