State of the City: Addressing the past, present and future goals of Santa Maria

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - The annual State of the City was held virtually on Wednesday due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

Hosted by the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, the meeting featured speakers including Mayor Alice Patino and City Manager Jason Stilwell.

"I report to you that the state of our city is still moving forward," said Patino.

Community leaders say the city is still "one vibrant community" despite new challenges.

"And in my experience when Santa Maria is challenged successfully work together step up and address things head-on," said Patino.

Patino addressed how the pandemic is impacting local businesses.

"I don’t want to minimize how important it is to support are businesses We will still be here as a city but many of our businesses will not be able to have the resiliency that we do," said Patino.

City Manager Jason Stilwell added that a variety of projects are still in the works.

"There’s activity happening across the city and more projects are in the pipeline," said Stilwell.

Despite the pandemic, Stilwell says city projects are not slowing down.

Building permits and inspections are moving forward.

Among the most visible construction sites making progress in Santa Maria are the new Toyota and Honda dealerships along Bradley Road in the Enos Ranch development area.

"The Azure Apartment Homes are partly occupied and should be finished by next summer. The complex is located along Battles Street next to the Bill Libbon Elementary School that was just finish and named this year," said Stilwell.

As for other future plans, city leaders say more housing and infrastructure projects are expected as the city continues to grow.