Land Use & Development Image

San Benito County Land Use & Development Articles



Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
‘Honest Mistake’ Led to No on a Donations Being Misreported, Says San Benito County

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Ana De Castro Maquiz wasn’t irate over an Oct. 18 article in the Hollister Free Lance that opponents of San Benito County’s Measure A had misreported $189,000 in campaign contributions.The San Jose Mercury News also …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Hollister Planning Commission Moves Draft 2040 General Plan Forward

Lea este artículo español aquí.On Oct. 25, the Hollister Planning Commission unanimously approved recommending that the City Council adopt the 2040 general plan and certify its environmental impact report. The City Council is scheduled to consider the plan on Nov. …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Despite Housing Crisis, San Benito County Planners Deny Project

Lea este artículo en español aquí.After a two-year-long push and pull, the San Benito County Planning Commission denied the 141 single-family-unit project known as Lands of Lee, proposed for Fairview Road in Hollister. One of the main reasons behind the …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
County Planners Send Open Space Deal at Highways 129 and 101 to Supervisors

Lea este artículo en español aquí.The Planning Commission sent a development agreement regarding the Ag Center project, proposed for the intersection of Highways 101 and 129, to the Board of Supervisors for discussion. On Sept. 18, the county planners were …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Who Is Behind Measure A?

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Editors note: Graham Womack is a freelance journalist based in Sacramento. BenitoLink hired him to bring an independent perspective to this controversial initiative. Seth Adams didn’t want to answer the question. Adams is land conservation …

SanBenitocom logo LOCAL NEWS
Opponents, Supporters Plow Funds Into Slow Growth Ordinance

A San Benito County measure on the November ballot could potentially make significant changes to local development and land use for years to come. But the influx of outside money into the two opposing campaigns shows that there is plenty …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Amah Mutsun Land Trust Appoints New Board Members

The Amah Mutsun Land Trust recently announced that four new board members have been appointed to the Gilroy based nonprofit’s board of directors.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Glen Loma Ranch, City of Gilroy Agree on $7.2M Payment for New Fire Station

The City of Gilroy and the developer of Glen Loma Ranch this week resolved a standoff over the builder’s previous promises to pay for the construction of the Santa Teresa Fire Station.

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
New Law Allows More Farmworker Housing Development in Santa Clara County

Gov. Gavin Newsom recently signed a new state law that could lead to more farmworker housing development in Santa Clara County.

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
County Planners Approve New Betabel Property Lines

Lea este artículo en español aquí.The San Benito County Planning Commission has approved the subdivision of the property where the 30-acre commercial development known as the Betabel Road Project would be located. At a Sept. 25 special meeting, the commissioners …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Leases Available at New Santana Ranch Development

Lea este artículo en español aquí.A new development in the Santana Ranch community is offering retail locations for lease. Located on the northeast corner of Hillcrest Road and Fairview Road, it’s planned as a grocery-anchored shopping center that will feature …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Rocks Ranch Owner Says Measure a Is Regulatory ‘Taking’ of Property

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Rocks Ranch property owner Ben Bingaman has delivered a letter to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors and county counsel requesting that the county rezone four nodes from commercial regional to commercial thoroughfare. The …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
San Juan Bautista to Propose Growth-Limiting Agreement to County Supervisors

Lea este artículo en español aquí.San Juan Bautista’s Urban Growth Boundary Committee has revised and simplified a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the San Benito County Board of Supervisors to be sent to them for review and possible revision. If …

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Eat, Drink, Savor: El Guapo Kitchen Surprises With Grasshoppers and Regional Dishes

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Two years ago, in his first interview with BenitoLink about his El Guapo Kitchen food truck, Chef Alejandro Ceja talked about changing his menu four times, trying to understand the local tastes in food, dropping …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Llagas Creek Project Is Fully Funded After 70 Years

Local agencies finally have enough money to complete the Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project, about 70 years after the massive infrastructure project was initially planned.

Benito Link logo LOCAL NEWS
Concerned About Traffic, San Benito Planners Withhold Housing Project OK

Lea este artículo en español aquí.Two years after it was conceived, the plan for the 141 single-family unit project known as Lands of Lee, proposed to be built on Fairview Road in Hollister, has yet to be approved. At its …

Gilroy Dispatch logo LOCAL NEWS
Market Factors Lead to Increase in Renters in South County

With home ownership increasingly surpassing the reach of many Californians and residential real estate prices going up across the board, more people in South County are renting their homes in recent years.

Sacramento News and Review logo LOCAL NEWS
Prefab Temporary Housing Might Soon Shelter Unhoused Californians

Small, less-expensive readymade homes could buy time as the state continues to struggle with homelessness and high building costs.  By Mark Kreidler, Capital & Main...

Featured

Zoning laws tell you what you can and can't build on the property you own. How does government get away with that?
How Zoning Laws Shape California and Society
Zoning is everywhere, but is it a way to regulate development or a tool for social engineering?
How California reclamation districts turned millions of acres of wetlands into fertile agricultural land, starting in the earliest days of the Gold Rush.
Reclamation Districts: Turning ‘Swamps’ Into Farmland
From its earliest days as a state, California has been trying to turn marshes into productive land.
Since 1972, the California Coastal Commission has ruled over the state’s shoreline.
California Coastal Commission: Where It Comes From, What It Does
How a nuclear plant, a real estate development and an oil spill led to a landmark law.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law
54-year-old environmental law is often blamed for causing the state’s housing crisis. Is it getting a bad rap?
The 1965 law known as the Williamson Act has been responsible for keeping about half of California's farmland out of the hands of developers.
The Williamson Act: How the Law That Protects California’s Farmland Works
More than half of California farmland is under contracts that prevent its development.