The Hollister Airport Commission on Wednesday formally opposed
the location for a proposed flea market off of San Felipe Road. The
commission made the decision at a special meeting Wednesday in
light of the project application. County resident Robert Rodriguez
submitted the proposal for a flea market, similar to the idea he
had for a business off of Shore Road
– which planning commissioners and supervisors denied due to
location and concerns from neighbors about traffic, noise, crime
and dust, among other issues.
The Hollister Airport Commission on Wednesday formally opposed the location for a proposed flea market off of San Felipe Road.
Commissioners voted 6-0 to recommend against the proposal due to its location. Commissioner Gordon Machado abstained from voting because he sits on the San Benito County Planning Commission, which will decide the fate of the application.
The commission made the decision at a special meeting Wednesday in light of the project application. County resident Robert Rodriguez submitted the proposal for a flea market, similar to the idea he had for a business off of Shore Road – which planning commissioners and supervisors denied due to location and concerns from neighbors about traffic, noise, crime and dust, among other issues.
Rodriguez recently submitted an application to the San Benito County Planning Department for a flea market business at 1771 San Felipe Road. It is across from the airport and the lot is near an industrial park, according to the application.
Airport commissioners called for a special meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday to consider urging against its approval because the site is within a “runway protection zone,” according to the commission’s agenda. Such areas are defined as the high-risk surroundings to an airport where experts recommend to avoid nonresidential uses except if “very low intensity in character,” according to airport compatibility policies from the state, as provided in the commission staff report.
Rodriguez’s new proposal calls for a weekend operation with 100 vending booths, parking for 350 or more cars, portable concession areas, chemical toilets, and live and recorded music. His proposal for a flea market on Shore Road – denied by supervisors in February – would have entailed 50 vendors, toilets, a food truck and a beverage stand. Rodriguez when he initially proposed the Shore Road project also had included a rodeo portion, but he later withdrew it.
One of the messages from officials to Rodriguez when the county denied the proposal focused on the location, and how it was inappropriate for the business – largely due to traffic concerns. Neighbors of the Shore Road property, though, showed up in force against the project and cited an array of other worries such as dust, noise and crime. It remains to be seen whether the idea for a similar – yet larger – operation on San Felipe Road will garner the same sense of opposition as the prior one.
Some of the other details in Rodriguez’s proposal include the times it would operate, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays – weather permitting. There would be a 20-foot driveway for the entrance and fire access. That is the same width of the driveway Rodriguez had proposed for the Shore Road project as well.
His application also notes how there are two unoccupied buildings on the site, probably 30 years old and with wood construction, while other metal buildings are more recent and in good condition. There also is fencing on all four property lines, and some of it has screening, according to his application.
There is no lighting proposed, and he contends that no flood-control measures are necessary because there are no valuable structures proposed and the market would be closed during inclement weather.
Look to the Free Lance on Tuesday for more on this story.
