Santa Maria planning commissioners got an early look at a plan to build a more than 100,000-square-foot produce processing plant on the western edge of town.

Questions about traffic flow and what could be done to address any added truck traffic to the area dominated Thursday morning's study session.

Santa Maria-based Gold Coast Packing is planning to relocate from its current site on West Boone Street to a location on Craig Drive, west of Blosser Road and south of Jill Avenue, where the company plans to build a 101,167-square-foot building.

The company is currently housed in multiple, smaller buildings, said Ron Burk, president of Gold Coast Packing, and the new site will allow for a more efficient operation with room to expand, if needed.

The new building, which is planned to be developed in two phases, is proposed for a vacant 6.2-acre site. The facility would be used for a produce processing plant, where fresh vegetables are brought in, washed, packaged and then shipped out to clients across the country.

Access to the facility would be off of Jill Avenue, where the produce would come in, and off of Craig Drive, where the finished product would be sent out, officials said.

At Thursday's meeting, which is a precursor to a public hearing scheduled for July 16, city staff noted that measures are needed to address the potential for traffic problems.

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In addition to the Gold Coast project, two other industrial developments are planned for the immediate area.

Just west of the Gold Coast site is a 24,300-square-foot facility for Central Coast Packaging which is currently under construction.

To the north of the Gold Coast project, owners of Central Coast Distributing are planning a 14,000-square-foot addition to an existing building and construction of a new 54,000-square-foot building, according to city planning staff.

As part of the Gold Coast project a traffic study was conducted that looked at all three projects and determined a number of options to choose from, including a southbound right lane on South Blosser at Jill and Grant. Staff told the commission this may be the preferred solution in order to accommodate truck entering and exiting the sites and allow through traffic on Blosser.

Officials with the various developments questioned the numbers in the traffic study and also indicated that they will have to negotiate among themselves to accommodate such an order.

Commissioners didn't have too many comments other than to ask what the cost would be to construct the right-turn lane and how that would be split among the three projects.

Commissioner Etta Waterfield said she thinks the Gold Coast proposal is a good project and that it is “essential” to keep the company in town.

“It's important that we do get this project online and going,” said Waterfield, who referenced her job with the Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Commission.

Malia Spencer can be reached at 739-2219 or mspencer@santamariatimes.com.

July 4, 2008