San Benito County Land Use & Development Digest

The Hollister City Council unanimously agreed to accept a $5 million grant for San Benito High School District to build a student union, which will include a cafeteria and other amenities.

The Hoopa Valley Tribe announced it is acquiring about 10,000 acres of land in Northern California for $14.1 million. As part of this, the tribe will remove dams along the Klamath River and restore salmon runs.

The San Benito County Planning Commission voted to recommend to the Board of Supervisors that it delete four New Community Study Areas from the 2035 General Plan after Senior Planner Kelley recommended removing those areas from consideration for future developments.

Complications facing the architects of the new gas station to be built at the Alameda and Hwy 156 seems to be finally leading to approval by the San Juan Bautista Planning Commission.

The Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust recently paid almost $10 million for a 1.86-acre site formerly used for oil drilling. It could be converted into a community center, park and affordable housing.

The California Rangeland Trust announced the 9,400-acre Silacci Ranch's conservation was finalized, preserving the family's 140-year ranching legacy on land in Monterey and San Benito counties.

California energy regulators are considering requiring homeowners to replace broken air-conditioning systems with heat pumps or HVAC systems that are more energy efficient. The change would go into effect in 2026.

The Fort Independence Indian Community is getting the Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife at no cost in 2024. Native Americans had lived on this land for centuries before the hatchery’s construction.

A 2021 state law has radically changed the housing equation in San Diego. Advocates, developers, and policymakers are split on whether it should be exported to other jurisdictions.

The San Juan Bautista City Council made several decisions that will affect the town for years to come, including retaining food and beverage parklets until mid-2026, passing a long-debated urban growth boundary that restricts future developments through 2035, and reassessing the San Juan Bautista Economic Development Citizens Advisory Committee.

The Hollister City Council voted 4-1 to adopt a wastewater services agreement between Hollister and Sunnyslope County Water District for Gavilan College, Cielo Vista, Fairview Corners and Lands of Lee.

A shrubby Palmer oak tree in Riverside County is around 13,000 years old, making it California’s oldest tree and one of the longest-lived organisms on earth. Some people are concerned that a proposed development could threaten the tree.

The San Benito County Planning Commission issued a notice of preparation for an environmental impact report for a proposed project at the Hwy 129 and Searle Road intersection.

The meeting was the second of three scheduled to discuss the proposed landfill expansion before the planning commission approves or denies the environmental impact report.

The Hollister Planning Commission approved in a 4-0 vote a proposal for a condominium project on the corner on Fourth Street and Westside Boulevard, adding a condition to include a two-foot visible lattice above the fence.

The Hollister Planning Commission is scheduled to consider a proposal for a condominium project from Bebek Development, a San Juan Capistrano-based company, at its Oct. 26 meeting.

Massive ocean wind farms off Morro Bay and Santa Barbara County—which could transform these quiet coastal towns and affect marine life—face a turbulent path.

Two new projects for San Juan Bautista were considered by the city’s Historic Resources Board. The first was a gas station project at the corner of Hwy 156 and The Alameda. The second was the demolition of existing buildings at 45 Washington Street to be followed by the construction of four duplex units within two two-story apartment buildings.

The Hollister Planning Commission approved an extension for a tentative map, conditional use permit, and site and architectural review for a subdivision of 14 townhomes near R.O Hardin Elementary School.

The City Council agreed to send the 2023-2031 Housing Element and Fair Housing Analysis, which requires the city to plan for a minimum of 88 housing units over eight years, despite reservations.

Work on a new annex, visitors center and underground parking garage can legally begin after the state issued a final, court-ordered review of the project. Plans have been on hold since early 2021.

The irrigation bill, which aims to force businesses and institutions to remove their lawns, now goes to the governor.

The Hollister City Council adopted changes by consensus to the city’s draft General Plan 2040. Among the updates were expansion of the sphere of influence and changes in residential land use.

A June budget deal required community colleges to raise their own money to build affordable student housing. Some campuses said that plan prevented them from building the dorms, even with help from the state to pay the debt.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks proposed legislation to help get around a court's rejection of a UC Berkeley housing plan. But even if the law is approved, its fate is in the hands of the state Supreme Court.

Amid vociferous public opposition, the Hollister City Council approved wastewater services to the Fairview Corners subdivision, Gavilan College and Cielo Vista in partnership with the Sunnyslope Water District.

Members of the San Juan Bautista Urban Growth/Sphere of Influence Ad-Hoc Committee expressed a desire to remain in control of future development, and most said they want to stay away from historic areas and agricultural land.

With California setting goals to increase the number of new housing units to keep up with growth, agricultural regions such as Hollister are equally committed to preserving the open space and farmland in and around the city.

Environmentalists and project proponents agree: Infrastructure bills crafted by legislators and Newsom are a good compromise to streamline development. The package aims to speed up lawsuits for solar farms, reservoirs and other infrastructure, and relax protection of some species.

For those who have been wondering about what was going on north of the Hollister Municipal Airport, with all the blue tarps and 9,000 pilings driven 50 feet into the ground, Amazon has finally answered BenitoLink’s repeated requests to verify that the new building will be its latest venture in San Benito County.

Trust for Public Land along with local land trust partners—including the San Benito
Agricultural Land Trust, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and the Amah Mutsun Land Trust—announced the permanent protection and conservation of the historic Harvey and Gladys Nyland Property.

In a June 6 presentation by Resource Management Agency Planning and Building Director Abraham Prado outlined San Benito County’s 2035 General Plan Housing Element to a joint session of the San Benito County Board of Supervisors and Planning Commissioners.