Locals will get a rare chance to guide the future of San Benito
County and Hollister in a series of upcoming workshops.
Hollister – Locals will get a rare chance to guide the future of San Benito County and Hollister in a series of upcoming workshops.
Coming up first is the Hollister Downtown Association’s “downtown immersion” weekend – two packed days of tours, workshops and even a movie screening, which will culminate Saturday in an open house showcasing ideas and plans drawn from community members.
“It’s going to be a real hands-on experience to shape the downtown,” said HDA Executive Director Brenda Weatherly.
The downtown workshops will guide the Irvine firm RBF Consulting as it prepares Hollister’s new downtown strategy plan. The HDA completed its previous downtown plan in 1991. HDA directors say a new plan is needed to help businesses take advantage of the Highway 25 bypass, scheduled to open in December 2008.
The bypass will reroute traffic off San Benito Street and, locals are hoping, could make downtown Hollister more pedestrian friendly.
“This (event) is one of the first steps to the revitalization of our city,” said Hollister Mayor Brad Pike.
The downtown plan process will cost an estimated $198,500. The Hollister Redevelopment Agency has pledged to pay three-fourths of that amount, and the HDA has raised another $18,000. Weatherly said she hopes to obtain the rest of that money through grants and other fundraising.
Weatherly acknowledged many locals probably won’t make time for 14 hours of discussion spread over two days. She said the most critical events will be Friday’s community workshop, where consultants will outline the downtown planning process, and Saturday’s design charrette, where attendees will work in groups to develop ideas and redesign areas of downtown Hollister.
“I think that if people really care about the future downtown, they should take some time to participate,” Weatherly said.
Gordon Machado, owner of Rustic Turtle Embroidery Works and a member of the HDA board of directors, said he’s going to be “dead center” during the weekend’s events. He plans to focus particularly on the “streetscape,” green space and on new urbanism – a philosophy that emphasizes walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods.
“There are all kinds of opportunities,” he said.
Machado is also looking forward to hearing new ideas from people who don’t spend every day downtown.
“When you’re in it all day long, you start taking a lot of things for granted,” he said.
The San Benito County Planning Department will hold meetings of its own to discuss the upcoming update to the county’s general plan. A general plan outlines the basic rules for future growth, and the update process can be a contentious.
County Planning Director Art Henriques said the meetings will allow community members to outline “what’s important to people for the county’s future.” The planning department has also mailed out surveys, and anyone who doesn’t receive one – particularly renters, because the planning department couldn’t find a reliable list – can request a copy.
“It’s important that we hear from all sectors of the county,” Henriques said. “The county’s general plan is everybody’s general plan. It’s not something that’s being done by a small group of people.”
