Fate of Fallas in City Council’s hands

A proposed department store in Santa Maria goes before the City Council Tuesday night and it is being met with some opposition from council members.

After months of renovations and meetings with city officials, National Stores Incorporated is faced with another hurdle. The City Council has to approve the store before it opens.

In the proposal, National Stores Inc. wants to open a Fallas department store in the old Mervyns building in Town Center West.

The planning commission is recommending the council approve it at Tuesday night’s meeting. However, it may not be an easy pass.

“The store I went to in Bakersfield would not be a store I would want here in Santa Maria, and my understanding is that that’s not what they are planning to do here,” said Santa Maria Mayor Alice Patino.

Patino said she would like to hear more on the proposal before she makes a final decision.