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South County retail study recommends blended‑use, targeted marketing to capture visitor and local sales
Summary
A South Monterey County retail market assessment presented to the Soledad City Council identified low vacancy, recent retail growth in Soledad, and opportunities to capture retail leakage through blended‑use development, infrastructure improvements and stronger marketing to tourists and retailers.
A retail market assessment prepared by Cosmo Companies and presented Nov. 6 to the Soledad City Council found the South Monterey County retail market is stable but faces competition from larger retail clusters in Salinas and Monterey. Bob Valente, vice president of Cosmo Companies, told council members the study flags opportunities for dining, general‑merchandise and limited‑use projects that combine retail with housing or hospitality to improve project feasibility.
The report, commissioned by the Monterey County Business Council and summarized by Paul Farmer, noted a low regional retail vacancy rate (about 1.7%) and that most recent retail square footage added to the region since 2019 occurred in Soledad. Valente said constraints include high land and construction costs, interest‑rate pressures and retailers’ site requirements, and recommended city actions such as regulatory flexibility, infrastructure investments and outreach to retailers and developers.
Why it matters: Councilmembers framed the study as a tool to shape a multi‑year economic development work plan. Several members urged the city to pair housing growth with retail strategies, invest in marketing and tourism partnerships — including leveraging Pinnacles National Park and Sea Monterey — and to use the report’s site‑level analysis when pursuing grants or developer conversations.
Council response: Council members pressed the consultants on demand drivers and digital marketing for small businesses. Cosmo and the Business Council recommended outreach to developer networks and retail brokers, technical assistance for local businesses (digital literacy and Google business listings), and participation in retail conferences to market Soledad’s opportunity sites. Staff said the report portion focused on Soledad will be provided to council members and could feed a strategic planning session.
Next steps: Staff said they will share the full report with the council, consider a follow‑up workshop, and use the findings in an economic development work plan and feasibility work for a proposed container village and other opportunity sites.
