Robert Riechel: Legalizing weed and bulding out Ferrari Ranch could save Atwater
Atwater is on the verge of very big things. Two game-changing projects on the city council’s docket could be life-saving for the long-suffering, nearly bankrupt city: The Ferrari Ranch project and the proposed cannabis ordinance. If passed, each will provide a financial and jobs-creation boom for the city.
The Ferrari Ranch project, sitting at the junction of Highway 99 and the Atwater-Merced expressway, is an estimated 250-plus acres of planned development that will include a regional retail center, a regional medical complex and hospital and sports complex in addition to shops, restaurants, clinics and more. When completed, the project will employ some 7,000 people, bringing thousands into the city daily to eat, drink, get health care and spend their money.
The cannabis ordinance will bring more immediate relief. Under Prop 64 (which passed by 68 percent in Atwater) allows cities to regulate cannabis businesses. Once enacted, with fees and duties, the potential of hundreds of thousands – even millions – of tax dollars could pour into the city’s coffers. Parks, schools, law enforcement, neighborhood programs, long-needed infrastructure projects will be direct beneficiaries, all creating jobs. For a city on the precipice, two rare and game-changing opportunities await – opportunities to save itself.
Robert Riechel, Atwater
This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Robert Riechel: Legalizing weed and bulding out Ferrari Ranch could save Atwater."