San Benito County Land Use & Development Digest

The morning was overcast when local officials and residents gathered at the site of the new San Benito campus on June 16, but the atmosphere was all sunshine and smiles as the project finally broke ground.

The two-year legal battle to stop the Betabel Commercial project concluded June 9 when attorneys for the three petitioners filed to dismiss the non-CEQA claims against the project and the county over zoning issues.  The petitioners were the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, the Center for Biological Diversity and Protect San Benito County.

The fourth in a series of articles on the draft 2040 General Plan looks at its Economic Development Element—a blueprint for growth with guidelines that are intended to strengthen the city’s economic health in the face of expanded residential growth.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed Assembly Bill 341 into law, reinstating a moratorium on the expansion of cardrooms in the state.

On May 25, the Hollister Planning Commission unanimously approved the site and architectural applications for the construction of the 10-megawatt Stodola Battery Storage Energy System that will be built at the Gateway Center Subdivision.

The two-year legal battle to stop the Betabel project took another step May 24 when San Benito County Superior Court Judge Patrick Palacios upheld his April 24 ruling to dismiss portions of two lawsuits related to CEQA.

As Hollister continues to grow, the need to facilitate better traffic circulation increases as well, and Hollister’s draft 2040 General Plan, a local government’s blueprint for growth, describes what may be required.

The proposed expansion of the John Smith Road Landfill from 95 acres to 483 acres and the impact it will have on rates for residents and businesses were the subject of a presentation at the May 11 special meeting of the San Benito County Integrated Waste Management Regional Agency Local Task Force.

Hollister released its draft 2040 General Plan, a local government’s blueprint for growth, in April for public review. Community members can provide input to the city during some of the planned events, or by email.

Judge Patrick Palacios tentatively ruled to dismiss two lawsuits against the Betabel Road project along Highway 101 in San Benito County.  Peter Prows, attorney for the Betabel property owners, said they filed a motion to dismiss based on a 30-day statute of limitations, but opposing counsel is confident Protect San Benito County and the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band filed on time.

Strada Verde Innovation Park, the 2,770-acre research and development project for autonomous vehicles, has been delayed after the Southern California residential and commercial real estate developer Newport Pacific Land Company requested on March 9 that the ongoing environmental impact review be temporarily stopped, according to Director of Planning and Building Services Abraham Prado.

Residents living west of Hollister were unhappy to hear that the San Benito County Planning Commission would receive a report for the proposed Nash Road Quarry Reclamation Plan that could resume mining activities at a 131-acre site owned by Sandman Inc.

On Jan. 31, the San Juan Bautista City Council approved a bond for its wastewater project, filled vacancies on the Planning Commission and reviewed its transportation and connectivity plan.

As Jeremy Vanderkraats, owner of Signs by Van, was installing the new “Hollister” sign at San Benito and Fourth streets, he ran into a case of one city department not knowing what another city department was doing.

Appointing four new planning commissioners proved difficult for the San Juan Bautista City Council, as it rejected two of the five hopefuls and erred in one appointment at the council’s Jan. 24 meeting. In a 4-1 vote, members appointed David Medeiros and Jose Aranda.

To start the new year, San Benito County will make appointments to five boards and committees, including the Planning Commission.

Ever since the Hollister Planning Commission approved a 1.05-million-square-foot fulfillment center Jan. 13, 2022, the overriding question has been what company will ultimately take up residence there.

The San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Nov. 22 to approve a deed restriction and affordable housing implementation plan for Phase 2 of the Santana Ranch Apartments, which would add 55 more apartments to the 110-unit complex. Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki voted against the measure.

The Wildlife Conservation Board has approved $24.46 million in grants to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitat in California, including $650,000 to the California Rangeland Trust to acquire a conservation easement over some 4,503 acres.

San Benito County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 on Nov. 8 to approve the final environmental impact report and conditional use permit for the Betabel Commercial Development project. Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki was the dissenting vote.

State Treasurer Fiona Ma stumps for Strada Verde electric vehicle testing project. Those in favor point to local jobs and recreational access to the Pajaro River. Those opposed fear the project will lead to overdevelopment.

One of California’s top elected officials announced steps to limit how developments can be built in areas that are at highest risk of wildfire. Attorney General Rob Bonta released guidelines for local governments to follow when they are deciding whether to approve subdivisions in the “wildland urban interface.”

At their monthly meeting on Sept. 20, the San Juan Bautista City Council took a step back on three issues: road repair, a fireworks prohibition and, most significantly, the redrawing of sphere of influence and urban growth boundaries.

A housing development nearing approval in June hit a speed bum when density issues were raised by Hollister Planning Commission. If proposed zoning amendments are approved, building could get under way if the City Council approves.

A curtain was pulled back during the Aug. 9 San Benito County Supervisors meeting when former supervisor Anthony Botelho announced that 27 parcels near the proposed Strada Verde Innovation Park project had transferred to a Delaware-based company.

The next phase of the Betabel Road project, located at 9641 Betabel Road along Hwy 101, is that the draft environmental impact report for the Commercial Development Use Permit began its 45-day public review period on July 22 and will end Sept. 6.

Before four big development projects could be discussed, the Aug. 2 San Juan Bautista Planning Commission meeting began with an announcement that Luis Matchain had been removed as a commissioner, which leaves two seats open. The commissioners also discussed a BenitoLink article about the contentious June 21 joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission.

San Benito County has released the John Smith Road Landfill expansion draft Environmental Impact Report for a 45-day public review period. A copy of the draft EIR is available on the county’s website and the deadline to submit written comments is 5 p.m. on Aug. 29.

TriCal, a distributor and applicator of agricultural soil conditioning and fumigation products, has signed a safety agreement with the management of the Strada Verde project on June 23 that covers a wide range of measures from repairing train tracks to moving part of its operation out of the county.

A contentious joint session of the San Juan Bautista City Council and the Planning Commission on June 13 was intended to have the public respond to proposed city growth boundaries. Instead, the proceedings ground to a halt when two council members left and the meeting ended for lack of a quorum.

The 2,770-acre Strada Verde Innovation Park was presented to voters as Measure N and defeated in 2020. Trying another approach, the project’s backers are now taking it through the normal planning process.

Intended to increase county revenue, nodes are designed to service existing and future demand for commercial, residential, industrial projects in unincorporated areas. Land use activists oppose 13 of 16 nodes.