If someone had told me in 1977 that King City would look like it does today, I would have found that unbelievable. But indeed in 48 years I have witnessed in King City an amazing transformation, and I have to say that I am incredibly impressed with what the people in this community have been able to do working alongside our government.
It was 33 years ago in 1992 that King City began the promotion of Beautification Week in partnership with the King City Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, King City Rotary Club, City of King and Waste Management (now known as WM). It was a simple request for everyone who worked and lived here to do one thing to improve the appearance of our town.
Let me outline for you some of the changes I’ve noticed just in the last year starting at the corner of First Street and Broadway.
IN OUR HISTORIC DISTRICT
Believe it or not, it was this time last year when we were celebrating the wind sculptures in the median of the first and second block of Broadway that feature our Salinas Valley crops of broccoli, wine grapes, cauliflower, onions, spinach and lettuce surrounded by lovely landscaping that includes yellow yarrow.
On the 200 block of Broadway, stamped-concrete crosswalks continue to be not only attractive but they make crossing the street safer for pedestrians because the distance from curb to curb is shorter than before. The old location of the Chamber of Commerce next to The Cork & Plough restaurant on the north side of the 200 block is being vacated and you can watch for a new tenant soon.
On the 300 block of Broadway, the Rising Phoenix taproom in the old Vendome Hotel building is bringing business to the area with their lovely outdoor patio area in the back of the building. In this historic downtown block is our new Downtown Plaza along with the amazing new King City Visitor and History Center at 110 North Vanderhurst Ave.
On the 400 block, there is new signage for West Coast Community Bank, formerly First Capital Bank, anchoring the corner of North Russ Avenue and Broadway. Each new sign seems to bring a fresh appearance to the town.
On the 500 block, there is a new sign for Oak Shores Realty in the former Anderson Law Office at 523 Broadway.
At 600 and 620 Broadway, the Broadway Plaza got a new paint job, transforming it from the pink shopping center to the grey shopping center, and it looks nice.
ALONG WEST BROADWAY
I was pleased to see just a couple weeks ago that Castro’s Surf and Turf at 721 Broadway completed a paving project in their parking lot. Even things like better pavement help our overall appearance. Be sure to check out the work in progress at the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Department on Franciscan Way.
On the 800 block of Broadway, I was sad to see the Donut King close, but with each closing of a chapter, space is created for something else to rise. It will be interesting to see what goes there. But meanwhile the colorful lantana plants next to the sidewalk provide beautiful color.
On the north side of the street, King City High School’s campus is looking better tended than it has in the past. The King City Cemetery District continues to be a park-like asset to our town with its amazing assortment of trees and shrubs.
At 1011 Broadway, it has been fun watching the transformation of the old King’s Worship Center church into a future office for District 3 Supervisor Chris Lopez next to our new Dutch Bros Coffee. And did you notice that dirt is being turned in preparation for Grocery Outlet?
OFF BROADWAY
At locations off of Broadway, I was happy to see the old Keefer’s Restaurant at 611 Canal St. is housing the Rustic Barrel Tap House and Barbecue. It would be wonderful if it could cultivate the excellent reputation that Keefer’s Restaurant had for decades with travelers from all over California who used Highway 101.
If you drive down recently repaved Division Street, you will see the lovely entrance to the Salinas Valley Fair. Note here the displays of purple perennial Statice and the red and yellow daisy-like flowers of Gallardia. You might want to consider them in projects you do.
On Canal Street, Cal Fire has used rock to create a clean look to their entrance at the corner of Division Street. Inside the King City Shopping Center, there are new signs for Wescom credit union, where Payless ShoeSource once stood.
And I can’t say enough about the impact King City in Bloom has had on our community environment, beautifying one small space at a time since 2016. Their latest effort was a collaboration with the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum to add native plant landscaping to the front yard of the Spreckels House at San Lorenzo Park. Residents of Sun Street Centers have provided labor for King City in Bloom projects and local businesses have generously donated supplies.
SAVE WATER AND WEEDS
If you look around town, it has been great to see residents reducing the amount of turf in their yards and using drought-resistant landscaping with shrubs and rock to cut down on weeds and water use.
Those of you who want to install drought-resistant plants can check the list in front of the King City entry sign at the corner of Broadway and San Antonio Drive, brought to us by Cal Water.
You also might want to check out the home of Chuck and Suzanne Krause on Rio Vista, where astroturf was recently installed in their front yard. It seems to be catching on as I remember when Karon Nichols on North San Lorenzo Avenue installed one of the first astroturf lawns in town, and it still looks clean.
If each of us does one thing this month to improve the appearance of our home or businesses, we could continue to make progress toward making King City a great place to live. Please do your part and ask your neighbors to join in.
Most the services one needs for beautification can be found in the landscaping companies and skilled laborers who live here. Please support them.
And remember that the City of King offers free mulch to anyone who wants to include wood chips in their landscaping. Just call City Hall and the staff can tell you how to arrange for that.
