GOOD NEWS REAL NEWS HOMETOWN NEWS
SINCE 1916 Making Communities Better Through Print.™ VOL. CVIII, NO. XXXVIII
CITY
City Council approves ordinance regulating city camping Ordinance change necessitated by U.S. court decisions, ballot measures, and state legislation By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATA S CA D ERO —T h e Atascadero City Council met for their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 6 p.m. The hybrid meeting was held in the City Council Chambers. The agenda passed unanimously. Items one, two, three, and five on the Consent Calendar passed unanimously as well. Item four, Affordable Housing Development Impact Fee Deferral Policy Resolution Adoption and Second Reading of Ordinance was placed on the calendar after the Sept. CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023
atascaderonews.com • $1.00 • WEEKLY
FUNDRAISER
Long Walk Home raises over $50,000 for El Camino Homeless Organization
The money will go to both the Atascadero and Paso Robles homeless shelters
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — The North County community came out in droves to support the El Camino Homeless Organization’s (ECHO) 12th Annual Long Walk Home. The awareness walk began at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23, and ended at the Atascadero ECHO campus at 11 a.m., which is when a barbecue lunch for participants started. “We had about 300 community members come out through sponsors, volunteers, residents, just all sorts of different people coming out to participate. It was incredible. It was an amazing amazing event,” said ECHO’s Director of Operations Austin Solheim. Through the fundraiser and awareness walk, ECHO raised over $50,000, which will be used at both ECHO Atascadero and ECHO Paso Robles campuses to help the organization continue with their work to get the North County’s unhoused popula-
Wendy Lewis (center) poses with ECHO volunteers and a sponsors banner during the Long Walk Home fundraiser on Sept. 23. Photo by Rick Evans
tion back into housing and give them access to programs that make it possible for those citizens. “One of the reasons that we love this event is that it creates a sense of community. It brings people together from all walks of life, and we walk together to really just embody the spirit of what we’re doing
here, and that’s providing stability and empowering each other, holding each other right through, taking all those steps together to get back into housing,” Solheim added. “The Long Walk Home is all about taking those steps together, just as those in our community facing homelessness take those steps to get back into housing.
“This year, we’ve seen tremendous and incredible success from our residents and from the community, and 131 men, women, and children have gotten back into housing to date this year from utilizing ECHO services.” Many local businesses and ECHO’s sponsors showed up for the Long Walk Home, and
HISTORY
Solheim said that close to 40 businesses from the community were represented at the event. “I would echo what Wendy [Lewis, ECHO’s CEO/President] said earlier, which is we’re not able to do what we do without the help of the community. So as much as CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
COUNTY
Winter and Ward Garage building gets new life San Luis Obispo County
Supervisors mull over easing of cannabis regulations
The building has been a staple on Atascadero’s main thoroughfare since the late 1920s
Review of cannabis policies sparks debate on retail stores, permitting, and delivery hours
By CHRISTIANNA MARKS christianna@atascaderonews.com
ATASCADERO — If you’ve driven through downtown Atascadero, chances are you’ve seen the old Winter and Ward Garage buildings on the 5680 block of El Camino Real. The Garages, which originally opened in 1928, were owned by Victor Ward and N.T. Winter. And though they were separate businesses, they shared a common wall. Today, the two historical buildings are thought of as one and the same, and the Winter and Ward Garage is getting a new life after being empty since the early 2000s. “In addition to Winter’s garage, he was joined by Victor Ward, the Chrystler agent,” Atascadero historian Lon Allen said in his book “Atascadero’s Historic Business District.” “The two garages were built with a common wall and constructed next door to the Atascadero Playhouse. The two garages were built out of reinforced concrete
walls and steel trusses.” The Ward Garage celebrated its grand opening in June 1928, while Winter’s Garage officially opened in downtown Atascadero a month later, in July 1928. This means the building is five years shy of being 100 years old, so it’s only fitting that the building is headed for a new life to match the growing Atascadero downtown all these years later. Newspaper ads placed in the Atascadero News from January to April 1929 (shared generously by the Atascadero Historical Society) show a thriving Winter’s
Garage selling gas for 20 cents, which is something we will never experience in our lifetime, especially as current gas prices seem to be on the rise again. Though the building is leaving behind its life as a garage, with the last known land use there being Nunes Pristine Auto Body, which closed in 2002, and a window company that closed later in the 2000s. The building will reopen to the public as a marketplace. Today, you can see construction underway when you pass by the connected buildings. “Winter’s garage is being
remodeled by Trung Tran, who owns Pho 4 U,” said the Community Development Department of Atascadero. “He is making it into a ‘marketplace’ sort of design with four or five open concept spaces and a shared common area that will likely house a mix of different restaurants and or restaurants and retail.” Tran hopes to open the building to the public mid-year 2024, but dates and exact details are not currently available. This is a continuing story, so keep an eye on Atascadero News for updates.
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY — San Luis Obispo County supervisors reviewed their cannabis policies and chances are, regulations are looking to loosen. During the Tuesday, Sept. 26, meeting, the Board of Supervisors voted to direct staff to adjust the current cannabis ordinance to allow brick-and-mortar retail stores in unincorporated areas for the first time. This came after several local cannabis business owners urged supervisors to loosen regulations set on them as heavy fees and rules are greatly affecting them. Overall, they asked to be treated as a regular commodity. But some other people from the community had a different view. Some asked to increase
NONPROFIT
COMMUNITY
NORTH COUNTY LIFE
SPORTS
WEATHER
By CAMILLE DEVAUL camille@atascaderonews.com
The Winter and Ward Garage buildings are shown in this historical photo. Photos courtesy of The Atascadero Historical Society.
regulations or eliminate the cannabis program completely. Supervisor Dawn OrtizLegg (D-3) vented frustration with legal and illegal cannabis being linked. “Here we are having a conversation about illegal cannabis. I am tired of having these two conversations come together,” she said. “If we have an illegal cannabis situation that’s regarding things that have to do with law enforcement, illegal cannabis, that should be one conversation.” The proposed changes for the county’s cannabis regulations encompass three key areas. First, there is a proposal to modify the expiration criteria for cannabis cultivation permits. Currently, these permits expire five years from their approval date, with the possibility of a one-time renewal within 12 months of expiration. The proposed change aims to shift this time frame to five years from the CONTINUED ON PAGE A7
atascaderonews.com twitter.com/ @AtascaderoNews facebook.com/ @AtascaderoNews
NOMINATIONS OPEN For Outstanding Philanthropist | A3
VENDOR APPLICATIONS WINE COUNTRY Open for Theatre Returns 2024 CMSF | A4 to the Stage | B1
CROSS COUNTRY Opens Season in Morro Bay | B8
High 87° | Low 49°
SUPPORT LOCAL
JOURNALISM
5
67808 24135
e Scan her ted! ar t s t e g to
HELP YOUR BUSINESS TAKE FLIGHT!
Not only do you have the power to choose the subscription that fits your life, but when you advertise, you will broaden your reach into target markets throughout the Central Coast, from Ventura County to Monterey County!
Subscribe & Advertise with
atascaderonews.com (805) 466-2585 office@13starsmedia.com
7