CSUMB Salinas City Center to become One Main Street with sale

By Mark Muckenfuss

Cal State Monterey Bay, the Hartnell College Foundation and the Steinbeck Center announced a transfer of ownership of the CSUMB Salinas City Center during a Wednesday morning press conference at the center on July 9. The more than 70 people in attendance were told the building will be rebranded as One Main Street.

The change comes after more than a year of trying to find an appropriate buyer. 

“When we looked into selling the building and finding a new owner,” CSUMB President Vanya Quiñones said, “we continued to look at, what are the needs of this community, so we can support the future of Salinas.” 

Hartnell College seemed the natural choice, she said. 

“Everything Hartnell and CSUMB do together is good for this town,” Quiñones added. ”Now we have an owner that will continue the commitment to the education and workforce development of our future generations.” 

Jackie Cruz is vice president of institutional advancement and executive director of the Hartnell College Foundation. She helped shepherd the negotiations and said the center will be utilized not only for Hartnell students, but also potentially for a number of nonprofit organizations, including Bright Futures Monterey County, El Pájaro Community Development Corporation, and as a temporary home for a portion of the Monterey County Office of Education’s school meals program. 

Cruz called the building and the Steinbeck Center a “cultural home.” She briefly outlined plans for adding a science element in the future.

“In the years ahead, we plan to launch a community-based biotech lab,” she said, “a space for local talent to innovate with tools and technologies usually only found in larger cities. One Main Street is a place where education, innovation, culture and community meet.”

The cooperative deal ensures that the Steinbeck Center has a continued presence in the Nobel Prize-winning author’s home and the setting for many of his famous stories.

“This has taken months to put together,” said Steve Emerson, president of the center, “but it’s the deal that makes sense for all the parties and sets the center up for long-term success.”

Emerson, and others who spoke, thanked Taylor Farms, a major donor in raising the funds necessary for the purchase.

CSUMB has owned the center since 2015, and initially planned to use the space for classrooms, but with changing programmatic needs of the university, the center was underutilized.

Selling the building will allow CSUMB to invest in new student housing, an increasing need for the university as enrollment grows.

In his remarks, Hartnell College Superintendent/President Michael Gutierrez lauded Quiñones for her foresight. 

“I want to thank Dr. Quiñones, a staunch advocate for economic and social mobility in our region, for her continued partnership,” Gutierrez said. “Thank you for having the vision to keep the jewel of One Main Street within higher education.”