Promoters of a new YMCA for Hollister are proposing to build a
major facility with family support, recreation and classrooms, and
that’s great. Their initial idea is to put it on the old
Leatherback Industries site east of McCray Street, and that’s not
great at all.
Promoters of a new YMCA for Hollister are proposing to build a major facility with family support, recreation and classrooms, and that’s great. Their initial idea is to put it on the old Leatherback Industries site east of McCray Street, and that’s not great at all.
In fact, with the current city layout, that location will just add more fragmentation to a city whose major economic problems are already aggravated by poor planning resulting in excessive sprawl.
As the city looks at this significant new development opportunity of an expanded YMCA, it’s vital that it does not make the same mistake that crippled some of our previous economic opportunities; that mistake would be to put the facility in the wrong place. Just like homes, the top three issues for consumer-oriented commercial development are location, location, location.
I believe that the large, well-appointed YMCA, with all the facilities and programs it could offer, has the potential to be both a magnet and a center for Hollister’s population. However, to realize the maximum benefits, it’s critical that it be close to downtown both physically and in the minds of the users – the old Leatherback site meets neither of those criteria.
The proposed site will be separated from the downtown area by the railroad tracks, McCray Street and a few blocks of mixed-use area currently occupied by small homes and industrial oriented buildings. Not only is McCray a difficult street to cross, but it also angles away from the downtown area towards the south and east. Did the old Leatherback site ever feel like part of downtown to you?
You’ve heard the term “the other side of the tracks.” The reason that term exists is that railroad tracks form both a physical and psychological barrier.
Let me simplify the issue by using a current example, the proposed location for the new YMCA will be to downtown what the Premier Cinema is to downtown – in other words, there will be no relationship. The city has poured millions into downtown redevelopment but nothing much is happening. Even if you it were, any successful redevelopment strategy must be centered on getting the maximum advantage from every significant development decision and this would meet that requirement.
Just think of the economic opportunities the downtown area would get from the increased foot traffic and the easy access to family friendly services. A new YMCA adjacent to downtown would act just like one of the anchor stores at the mall. I give the city credit for fighting to keep the new courthouse downtown; it will be the anchor the west side. The proposed commercial development to the near north side is already on the books and will start when the economy turns around, but there must be reasons for consumers to travel San Benito Street and a wonderful YMCA is the perfect reason.
I’m sure that some of you reading this will challenge me to come up with an appropriate location that can fill the bill, but I’m going to leave that to your imagination; after all, if I did all the work for you your creative juices would go stale.
