In a discouraging turn of events, the Council of Governments has
gone back to the drawing board on its plans to acquire property for
the Highway 25 bypass
– a project that’s critically important for our downtown.
In a discouraging turn of events, the Council of Governments has gone back to the drawing board on its plans to acquire property for the Highway 25 bypass – a project that’s critically important for our downtown.
COG, the county’s transportation agency, is seeking new appraisals after the owners of 13 properties along the route said they were lowballed on the original offers and were preparing to take their cases to court. The fact that COG decided to get new appraisals indicates that the property owners have a strong case. In fact, one COG director said the original appraisals were done more than a year ago. With the sharp climb in property values, it’s no wonder the landowners were crying foul.
Now the project – slated to begin this summer – could be delayed for up to 15 months. The tragedy of this recent setback is that it means our downtown business owners and the city, which are desperately awaiting the bypass so they can begin to make meaningful changes on our main street, will have to wait another year.
Getting the $27 million project approved is not only crucial to downtown business success, it’s a community safety issue.
Once the route taking traffic off of San Benito Street is complete, the city will be able to turn over the 2.5 mile bypass to CalTrans in exchange for control of San Benito Street, which is now a state highway. That will allow for more crosswalks and traffic signals in downtown, and for other improvements to make the street more inviting for pedestrians and shoppers. Anyone who has tried to dart across the four lanes of traffic that often rush through downtown at a breakneck speed knows it’s anything but pedestrian friendly now.
But, before anything can get done, COG must acquire the land for the road. And, in an our overheated real estate market, it’s only fair to offer landowners a decent price for their property. COG must ensure their second round of appraisals is done professionally and will keep this project out of court so we can pave the way for a brighter future in our downtown.
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