The proposal to build a new theater inside the city is a welcome
bit of business ingenuity and economic news for Hollister.
The proposal to build a new theater inside the city is a welcome bit of business ingenuity and economic news for Hollister.
A sewer moratorium – the result of a 15 million gallon sewer spill – has crippled our local economy by prohibiting all growth in Hollister until a new sewer plant is ready to go. But the owners of Premier Cinemas found a loophole that will allow them to build a new $4 million, 10-screen theater with stadium seating inside the city. Theater owners hope to gain approval next month, then break ground in January. If all goes well, the new theaters could be open by August or September.
The owners will get around the moratorium by building the new theater on an island of county land within city limits next to the current theater on McCray Street. They will use a septic tank to serve the sewer needs in the short term, and will use city services once the moratorium lifts and the theater is annexed into Hollister.
This is an interesting approach, and one we welcome provided government officials are conscientious in planning for the eventual annexation of the property. The city and county must dot all the I’s and cross the T’s to ensure the Local Agency Formation Commission, which approves annexations, doesn’t have a problem with the project. The city also must plan for the theater’s sewer needs. In fact, we suggest that the government agencies involved create a binding agreement with the approval of the theater that require it to meet city standards and be annexed into Hollister as soon as sewer capacity is available.
Once that’s complete, this will be a good project for Hollister. Most any expansion of local business in these troubled times, when more and more stores on San Benito Street seem to be closing or scaling back, is welcome.
While this project takes advantage of an obvious loophole, it’s also an example of the creative thinking needed while Hollister languishes in economic limbo. Building a new theater means new jobs, new taxes and an expansion of people’s entertainment options. And, the owners want to lease out their older six-screen theater for coffee or ice cream shops that will complement the new theater, creating more new business possibilities.
We welcome this economic development in a city that has seen too little in recent years.
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