Hollister’s Redevelopment Agency may help fund the new Welcome
to Hollister sign planned near the Hwy. 25 bypass and San Felipe
Road.
Hollister’s Redevelopment Agency may help fund the new Welcome to Hollister sign planned near the Highway 25 bypass and San Felipe Road.
Nearly $29,000 in donations has been raised toward the $45,801 cost of the proposed seven-by-12-foot sign, which is a project of the Leadership San Benito County group. The RDA recently received a request to have the agency fund the nearly $17,000 in remaining costs for the L-shaped sign that would welcome motorists traveling south on San Felipe into the city as well as those driving on the bypass.
Development Services Director Bill Avera said the request will compel the city to update its zoning code to allow for a so-called hospitality sign.
Zoning codes already permit gateway signs, but those have to be fully funded by a government agency.
“The new definition will allow nonprofits to erect the sign,” Avera said.
Leadership San Benito County is a nonprofit program that trains people to be aware of and interact with their community. Each year’s Leadership class selects one or more projects that are sustainable and beneficial to the community.
If the zoning change is made and the funding request approved, the RDA is expected to provide a supplemental appropriation to the Hollister Downtown Association, which would then use that money to defray the cost of the sign.
See more in the Pinnacle on Friday.
