SAN BENITO — Since November, Tony Camacho has been trying to open his restaurant in the city’s downtown.
But the city’s strict code enforcement requests have held him back, he said.
This week, the city issued Camacho his business permit.
“I thought it was easier here because it’s a small city,” he said.
Lionel Betancourt, the former president of the city’s Chamber of Commerce, says tough code requests have led some businesses to open in other cities.
At City Hall, City Planning Director Fred Bell, who oversees code enforcement, said Camacho undertook a renovation project that “took time.”
“It is correct that Hospitaco initiated the rehabilitation of an existing building but it took time for the owner to complete needed improvements to bring the building into compliance,” Bell said in a statement.
City Manager Manuel De La Rosa said the city is working to provide “more efficient service.
“We have implemented a great number of customer service improvements,” De La Rosa said in a statement. “We have put into action the plans to demonstrate better, more efficient service. We work with contractors and businesses to help them to open their doors more quickly so they can start servicing their customers.”
For more on this story read Friday’s Valley Morning Star.
