Betteravia Plaza: Crews begin early stages of construction in southwest Santa Maria

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The first phase of construction is underway at Betteravia Plaza.

As the city’s population grows, "Santa Maria‘s population is almost 110,000 people … it is growing at a
fairly brisk rate .… especially compared to other communities on the
central coast," said spokesperson Mark van de Kamp of Santa Maria, city leaders say they could be modifying this project.

"The original idea for Betteravia Plaza is a mix or employment uses
including office spaces and commercial spaces," said Chuen Ng of the City of Santa Maria.

The project would also include restaurants, a hotel and open space.

While those plans are still in place, the city is now considering to add residential buildings as well.

"I think we’re seeing the demand is for residential development ... so we’re
trying to remain flexible to market conditions and trends," said Ng.

"We’re always looking to grow more housing  … we’re doing at least our fair
share in Santa Maria … we build more houses than anyone else … the city
is not the landowner ... but the developers are hungry to build and
meet the demands," said van de Kamp.

The city believes by adding housing to the project, people will have more
choices on where to live.

"My hope is we have new development that contributes to Santa Maria‘s
quality of life ... that there’s more choice for housing options … but that we
also have new employment ... so that there are jobs available for those
that live here," said Ng.

Construction of Betteravia Plaza is expected to continue for the next
several months.