San Benito County Land Use & Development Digest

In their April 30 meeting, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors were updated on local road projects by Public Works, including the New Idria Road, which will be completed by the end of May.

The California Coastal Conservancy and the California Department of Conservation have provided a $700,000 grant for local agencies to update their Community Wildfire Prevention Plans.

The City of Hollister Planning Commission considered a new Starbucks at Fourth Street and Westside Boulevard in its April 25 meeting.

An apartment complex of several buildings with a total 132 units is being proposed for a 3.8-acre site at Fourth Street and Graf Road in Hollister.

Some residents fear development could destroy parts of the historic land.

In its April 9 meeting, the San Benito High School District approved a financier and is moving forward to purchase land on Wright Road in Hollister as the site of a second high school.

The Hollister Planning Commission approved a one year permit extension for a 100-unit residential project on Buena Vista Road during its March 28 meeting.

Local activist Andy Hsia-Coron announced he is preparing to start the signature gathering phase for a new slow-growth initiative titled "Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decisions Initiative."

Rumors are flying that California Forever is using dodgy tactics to gather signatures.

The developer of the Lands of Lee project to develop housing on Fairview Road has sued San Benito County for denial a permit to proceed, citing process violations of various laws.

Citing no reason, local landfill operator Waste Solutions withdrew its appeal of the San Benito County Planning Commission’s denial of certification of the Environmental Impact Report for a project to expand the landfill.

The operator of the John Smith Road Landfill appealed the San Benito County Planning Commission’s decision against certifying the environmental impact report required for expansion of the facility.

3 residents attended in person, and several more online, as Kimley-Horn, an engineering firm contracted by the city, led the workshop gathering local input on state-mandated housing goals to add over 4,000 units of new housing over the next 8 years.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

The California Environmental Quality Act has often been used, or misused, to block housing construction and other projects. A new state appellate court decision could reduce that practice.

Residents of San Rafael say the project could bring noise, pollution and crime to the area.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.

The 34-units D’Ambrosio Vista project is proposed for Third Street near the sewage treatment plant.

In a 4-1 vote, the San Benito County Board of Supervisors agreed to remove four “New Community Study Areas” from the county’s General Plan. Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki introduced the motion and Supervisor Bea Gonzales voted “no.”

Superintendent Barbara Dill Varga has been anxiously awaiting word on the school’s fate from state architects.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

San Benito County planners voted 4-1 against the John Smith Landfill expansion project’s EIR, conditional use permit and General Plan amendment.

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

Richmond Ranch in south San Jose may be preserved as open space if multiple government entities succeed in a quest to buy its thousands of acres, public documents show.

After a presentation on the landfill project, the council unanimously agreed to oppose the recommended haul route along Hwy 25 and receive further direction about the city’s hazardous waste disposal site at a future meeting.

Gavilan College hosted a Topping Off ceremony Jan. 17 at the new campus, where 80 San Benito County community members signed the last beam to be placed on the new college’s main building.

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors proposed changes to the county’s 2035 General Plan’s agriculture policy, as well as its land use element, housing element and circulation element.

Raging storms brought major damage to California’s coastline last winter. But in Half Moon Bay, a different kind of coastal upheaval is gaining momentum—one that could decide the fate of billions of dollars of property and affect hundreds of public beaches.

BenitoLink looks ahead to construction projects in the county that are expected to begin or be completed in 2024.

A California icon dies, the A’s sign a deal to leave, and the drought is washed away.