Gavilan College leaders have declined a proposal to partner with
developers and the local YMCA to place temporary classroom space at
the former Leatherback Industries property in downtown
Hollister.
Gavilan College leaders have declined a proposal to partner with developers and the local YMCA to place temporary classroom space at the former Leatherback Industries property in downtown Hollister.
Gavilan trustees at their meeting last week in closed session directed President Steve Kinsella against pursuing the idea, first made public in mid-February and involving 20,000 square feet of classroom space along with the future YMCA of San Benito County and other commercial tenants, on a total of about six acres.
Hollister’s Redevelopment Agency owns the site and is preparing to request bids for proposals. The potential partnership would have involved builders Jim Gibson and Don Marcus, the YMCA, Gavilan and the city.
Gavilan’s trustees decided against pursuing space at the site due to the location and concerns about its effect on enrollment, said Marcus, informed by Kinsella on Thursday about trustees’ call.
College spokeswoman Jan Bernstein-Chargin declined to discuss the Leatherback site in particular – citing how the discussion occurred in closed session – but did note that the school is exploring “a number of different options” for temporary expansion with ultimate plans to build a satellite campus at Airline Highway and Fairview Road. Gavilan has been examining options for added temporary space because capacity is running out at the Briggs Building.
YMCA President Scott Fuller said the organization was “disappointed” in Gavilan’s decision, but also that the YMCA would continue on with plans to relocate at the Leatherback location. The organization hopes to get a new facility built and opened in the next three to five years, while it also recently announced plans to temporarily move into the old Fortino’s building until that happens.
“The YMCA was hopeful this would work out with Gavilan. We thought it would be a great partner for the site,” Fuller said. “We’re disappointed in Gavilan’s decision, but that’s their decision.
“We intend to move forward with our plans to put a new YMCA facility on the southern half of that site.”
Hollister RDA officials will move ahead with the bidding process as well. The city is requesting development of the northern section and partial development of the YMCA facility on the southern site, both areas being about three acres. They are seeking ideas to develop a shopping center and YMCA, and have been in talks with interested parties over the past year. The Leatherback property has been vacant for about three years since the RDA bought it for $4 million.
Unofficially, there had been some interest months ago from a Hispanic grocer. With the Gavilan idea, the goal of the project was to “enhance the former Leatherback site, provide unique architectural character to the property, expand the commercial corridor adjacent to Downtown Hollister and stimulate economic development activities in the City of Hollister,” according to a summary provided by Marcus.
His team had planned to have the design emulate the college’s proposed Coyote Creek campus with 20,000 square feet of classrooms, labs and administration facilities, according to Marcus. It then would have included about 20,000 square feet of additional retail and commercial space and/or room to expand the campus, he said. That proposal also included construction of the first phase to the YMCA project.
Marcus in response to Gavilan’s decision also pointed out how the idea could have led to outside grant opportunities, and that city and county leaders were supportive of its prospects.
Gibson, who would have developed the Gavilan-YMCA site, said he no longer expects to get involved with the Leatherback location now that the college has backed out.
“They just disagreed,” he said. “I think it was more of an aesthetic thing. They couldn’t see the campus in that location.”
