KING CITY — Under blue skies and warm sunshine, local officials and residents packed the corner of Broadway Street and Vanderhurst Avenue on Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of King City’s long‑awaited Downtown Plaza and Visitor and History Center.
The project, six years in the making, transformed a once‑blighted lot into a vibrant civic heart — aiming to serve as a central gathering place for the community and a key piece of the City’s downtown revitalization efforts.
The site now features a performance stage, public art, children’s play areas, seating, landscaping and historical displays. It also includes a public restroom, drinking fountain with bottle filler and parking.
Adjacent to the plaza is the new Visitor and History Center, located in a remodeled building that was once home to the Rustler newspaper. The Visitor Center is operated by the King City Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture — which has relocated to the property — and provides tourist information, rotating historical exhibits and archival resources for researchers.
Chamber Manager Janet Bessemer said she received great feedback from visitors during Saturday’s celebration.
“They were very impressed with the building and offices re-do, and loved the park,” Bessemer added. “We estimated about 100 to 150 people stopped by. My thanks to the City, the architects and the contractor for the fabulous job.”
She noted that the King City Chamber’s new office hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 110 S. Vanderhurst Ave.
Planning for the project began in 2019 and was shaped through a series of public workshops. City Manager Steve Adams said the new development is designed to make downtown more pedestrian-friendly, support economic development and improve overall quality of life.
“We are very excited to make this new facility available to the community,” Adams said. “The goals of the project are to provide a central gathering place for friends, families and fellow residents to interact, eat, relax, have fun and enjoy entertainment, to support local downtown businesses, to beautify the community and enhance quality of life, and to create community pride.”
The total estimated cost of the Downtown Plaza project, including land acquisition, was about $3 million. Most of the funding came from a $2.1 million state grant, with the remaining costs covered by City park development impact fees and less than $100,000 from the City’s General Fund.
The Visitor and History Center came in under budget at an estimated cost of $550,000, according to Adams. Funding sources included federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, a $50,000 T-Mobile Hometown Grant and development fees. General Fund costs for the building were estimated between $50,000 and $75,000.
The May 31 event included a ribbon-cutting ceremony, live music, folklórico dancers, food, guided tours and a presentation from local leaders.
“It was a HOT, but absolutely perfect morning in King City where we cut the ribbon on the newest plazita in the Salinas Valley,” said Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez on social media afterward. “A place for community to gather, celebrate, debate, dream and envision our future.”
A new mural by La Neta Murals anchors one side of the plaza. Lopez praised the work, saying it “spins a folklórico dress into matching lines of the Valley’s quilt of crops and its peaks into colors and reminders of the Pinnacles.” He described it as “a tribute to the moment we are living with as our Valley evolves into its newest era.”
