Long-time Moss Landing businesses try to hold on in the midst of development shuffles.

It’s a windy day in Moss Landing, and at J&S Surplus on Highway 1, a phalanx of military flags stand at full attention, waving and snapping in the breeze. Just behind the patriotic display is something new to the J&S parking lot – but not new to Moss Landing: Pot Stop, a perennial favorite for garden pots and eclectic outdoor decorations. Last October the store was forced out of its old location two miles south in Moss Landing’s North Harbor area, sending owners Bob Goode and Polly Joseph scrambling for new digs.

It was not easy leaving the location that had been home to Pot Stop for several decades, but soon after Moss Landing Harbor District officials refused to renew the lease in October, Goode and Joseph struck a deal with J&S owners, who let them move in under the name “Pot Stop at J&S Surplus.” New Pot Stop signs in stencil lettering keep in line with the military theme. But an old “Pot Stop at Little Baja” sign hangs from a newly constructed fence.

“We’re continuing the tradition of Pot Stop in Moss Landing,” Goode says.

The small harbor community sees a daily average traffic count of nearly 40,000 vehicles zooming by, according to a 2016 Caltrans survey, along with a busy harbor berthing 600 boats, including 350 commercial fishing boats, according to a 2016 report by the harbor district. In the flux of traffic, long-time businesses like Pot Stop become familiar friends for both locals and visitors. But change is in the wind for Moss Landing, and Pot Stop’s forced move may have been a harbinger.

Harbormaster Linda McIntyre says the long-term plan for the old Pot Stop location and adjoining property is to build a 30-room hotel. Currently the district is constructing a commercial building near the Pacific Grill restaurant. The building is not leased yet, and could be developed into either a restaurant or retail store.

Another longtime business is also struggling to remain – at least for now. The owners of Farm Fresh Produce, next door to the Whole Enchilada, find themselves without a lease after 10 years. “We didn’t see it coming at all,” says owner Randy Moreno. He had been negotiating for another 10 years with landowners Keith Family Investments, LLC, when Moreno says Christian Keith began making new demands, such as approving what he can and cannot sell. Moreno believes Keith was making such demands to push the market out. On April 10, Keith Family Investments filed eviction papers with Monterey County Superior Court. Moreno says he’s filing his own lawsuit, asking for an injunction until he can find another location. Keith could not be reached for comment.

Even bigger changes are afoot on Sandholdt Road, located on Moss Landing’s island, where the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute owns property, including the building where Phil’s Fish Market is located. Phil’s was almost pushed out in 2010 by MBARI’s plans to demolish the building. (Those plans were later dropped.)

There is a pending application to build a new 12,000-square-foot spot for Phil’s at the end of the island. Across the street from Phil’s, MBARI is now seeking to build a 5,200-square-foot metal building. Those plans were approved in October by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and are now on hold pending an appeal to the California Coastal Commission.