A senior community comprising 160 units is making its way
through city bureaucracy
Sorely needed senior housing in Hollister moved a step closer to
reality earlier this month when city officials took the first steps
toward approving a 160-unit senior community between Airline
Highway and Valley View Road.
Affordable senior housing is in critical short supply in
Hollister, according to Marilyn Ferreira, one of the developers of
a new subdivision aimed at older homeowners.
A senior community comprising 160 units is making its way through city bureaucracy
Sorely needed senior housing in Hollister moved a step closer to reality earlier this month when city officials took the first steps toward approving a 160-unit senior community between Airline Highway and Valley View Road.
Affordable senior housing is in critical short supply in Hollister, according to Marilyn Ferreira, one of the developers of a new subdivision aimed at older homeowners.
The Hollister City Council asked the Local Agency Formation Commission – the group charged with approving boundary changes in the county – to annex the property into the city.
The bulk of the 24.5-acre project, about 16 acres, was previously annexed into the city. However, in 2003 LAFCo denied a request to annex a final eight acres into the city because of concerns about availability of city services.
According to former LAFCo supervisor Richard Scagliotti under the law, the property had to meet certain criteria in order to be allowed annexation into the city. LAFCo didn’t have the ability to deny annexation, but the city did not have the resources to accept another development, consequently, since the city could not provide services to any new parcels and LAFCo had documentation that showed that they were way over capacity.
The next month Hollister’s sewer system burst and released 15 million gallons of waste into the San Benito River that caused the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to put a hold on all growth in Hollister until such time that the city brings its sewer system into compliance with RWQCB standards.
In September, the City Council approved the project’s plan for service – including police, fire, water and sewer that will be paid for with developer fees.
Ferreira, a local realtor and her husband Richard own the property with Marty Miller. The Ferreiras have been attempting to build an “Active Seniors Community” for the better part of 10 years.
In 1998, the Ferreira’s purchased the property with the intention to build a community for adults 55 years of age and older. Plans for the project include more than 100 homes and nearly 70 attached units – including affordable housing – as well as private streets, a clubhouse, gardens and outdoor recreation areas.
Though the city has already allocated 161 dwellings for the project, the owners can’t hammer out the specific details for the senior community – such as how many homes per year they can build and – until the remainder of land is brought into the city.
Now that LAFCo has approved the development, the Ferreiras and Miller can begin a series of discussions with the city about what will be required to make the project a reality.
The details should be worked out by the time the sewer moratorium – imposed by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in 2002 is lifted.
City officials believe that barring any hang-ups; the city will have a new sewer plant by late 2007, which would result in the moratorium being lifted.
