Mayor And Local Business Owners Discuss Ways The City Can Improve Commerce

Mayor Mary Ann Nihart toured the Pedro Point Shopping Center today as part of her ongoing "Mayor's Walks" series.

The purpose of the walks is to gather input from local business owners as to how the city can help them improve commerce in Pacifica. 

owner Samer Jewinat said that current city laws prohibit adequate signage on storefronts in the shopping center.

The law, he explained, only allows signage to take up .75 percent of the square footage of a storefront. Considering the size of his restuarant and the smoke shop he owns in the same center, the signage he could install would not be large enough to been seen well from Highway 1. 

He was frustrated because the issue must be dealt with by the shopping center owner through the Pacifica Planning Commission and eventually the Pacifica City Council. The going has been slow, he said, but he expects movement soon within the city as a new proposal by the shopping center owner is headed to the planning commission. 

Other business owners, such as Dave Reed of  and Joreth Toropov of  said that business wasn't great because of the recession and they weren't sure the city could do anything to improve it. 

Joey Santa Maria, manager of the new store in Pedro Point Shopping Center, said business has been fine and that the community has welcomed the establishment. 

Watch the video for more of the Mayor's Walk.