Hollister
– A proposed commercial development on Hillcrest Road – which
may include a Lowe’s home improvement center – has taken another
step forward.
Hollister – A proposed commercial development on Hillcrest Road – which may include a Lowe’s home improvement center – has taken another step forward.
On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a zoning change that will facilitate the placement of a number of retail and residential buildings on the property, including a 150,000-square-foot home improvement center and a 31,500-square-foot garden center.
“This is ideal infill growth,” Supervisor Reb Monaco said.
Supervisor Don Marcus added, “I think it’s in the right place and it needs to move forward.”
Local business owner John Barrett, on the other hand, told the Free Lance he doesn’t think a large home improvement center will help the community.
“There are different ways to look at it; it depends on which side of the fence you’re on,” said Barrett, who owns McKinnon Lumber Co. “I think it’s going to be bad for the community, because it will hurt local businesses.”
If the project moves forward, Barrett predicted, his store will likely see a drop in sales, but will survive because of its loyal customers. Barrett added that the Lowe’s store in Gilroy has not hurt his business.
The property is located on Hillcrest Road along the proposed path of the Highway 25 bypass. Some 32 acres have been rezoned from “rural residential” to “general commercial,” while another three acres were rezoned form “rural residential” to “residential multiple.”
Al Guerra, who owns the property, said Lowe’s is investigating the location as a possible site for a future store.
Maureen Rich, the company’s public relations manager, told the Free Lance the company does not discuss real estate deals until they are closed.
“The real estate process can be a long and sometimes complicated one, and anything can happen during the negotiating process,” Rich said.
She also noted that Lowe’s plans to open between 150 and 160 stores in 2007.
“This means Lowe’s averages opening one new store about every three days,” Rich said.
According to Guerra, the development will benefit residents through increased jobs, increased tax revenue and increased local shopping opportunities.
“There’s basically hundreds of thousands of dollars that would go first into the county and eventually the city,” he said.
Guerra added that the project has been in the works for about two years, and that he’s incorporated a number of improvements at the city’s request. The improvements, Guerra said, include benches, state-of-the-art storm drains and “park-like features.”
“It’s not just going to be shopping buildings and a parking lot,” he said.
And despite the concerns of some local business owners, Guerra said many downtown stores have been supportive of his plans.
“If people stay in town to shop, there’s a better chance that (downtown businesses) will be getting more people to buy things at their shop,” he said.
So when is it actually going to happen? Guerra said his plans call for a home improvement center to open at the same time as the Highway 25 bypass, which is slated for completion by the end of 2008. The plans also call for a separate septic system; Guerra said that when Hollister’s moratorium on new sewer hookups is lifted, the land will be annexed into the city and connect to its sewer system.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
ah*@fr***********.com
.
