Soledad council reviews MST circulator plan as Ace Hardware warns proposed stop will cripple loading zone

Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) on Wednesday outlined plans for a new Soledad fixed-route circulator that would run every 30 minutes and add ADA-compliant bus stops around downtown, prompting sharply divided public comment from a local small business owner and Hartnell College representatives.

MST director Michelle Overmyer told the council the circulator is designed to improve local mobility and connects to regional services; she said ridership in Soledad increased 38% year‑over‑year and that MST logged just over 19,000 boardings in the city from January through June. “Sixty percent of our bus riders reported they don’t have a car available to them,” she said, noting that 20% of riders would miss work, school or medical trips without MST service.

Why it matters: The route would give students and residents more reliable local transit and is intended to reduce barriers to employment, education and appointments. But the plan also requires space in the curb lane for 90 feet of bus boarding areas, which creates conflicts in tight commercial blocks.

Ace Hardware owner Johnny Alcantar told the council the proposed southbound stop in front of his store would eliminate a loading and unloading zone his operation depends on. “We invested $3,500,000 in this store,” Alcantar said. “It’s going to be problematic for our employees to be doing all of this when we’re worried about buses coming in and out into that parking space.” He urged MST and city staff to relocate the stop to avoid removing critical forklift and trailer access.

Hartnell College and students strongly backed the MST proposal. Zoe Cruz, an associate student president and Hartnell student, said a Soledad stop near the Soledad Education Center would shorten students’ walks and expand campus access. Romero Hallomo, Hartnell vice president for student affairs, asked the council to approve the MST encroachment permit so students could begin using the service immediately.

Council response and next steps: Council members pressed MST and staff on alternatives and constraints, including ADA sidewalk widths, curb geometry and conflicts with driveway entrances. MST staff said they had worked with city staff for years to identify feasible locations and that some stops required sidewalk upgrades beyond MST’s budget. Council asked public works staff to re‑examine options that would preserve Ace Hardware’s loading zone where feasible and to identify additional stops in older neighborhoods where sidewalks could be brought into ADA compliance as part of future work.

The presentation was for discussion only; no vote was taken. Council asked MST to return with updated site work options and for staff to explore temporary parking/striping measures and timing restrictions that could preserve loading access for commercial tenants while enabling the circulator to proceed.