It has been an exhausting road, but Hollister is braced to finally take control of its long-pursued, downtown main street.
With the California Transportation Commission’s approval last week, all that’s left to make the transition official is an actual stamp, and that should come relatively soon from the state recorder’s office, according to the Council of San Benito County Governments.
All of those moves are happening after the signing of a state law in the fall, then followed by the Hollister council’s OK to accept control and maintenance of San Benito Street and other portions of the prior Highway 25 route leading to the other side of the new bypass. Once the city takes ownership of the downtown corridor in the coming months – a time frame is uncertain – there will be slight lag before the state officially takes over the Highway 25 bypass.
“We’re hoping that will occur some time in the late spring, early summer,” said Lisa Rheinheimer, executive director at the Council of San Benito County Governments.
Getting control of San Benito Street is particularly important to get maximum flexibility in planning events such as the Downtown Farmers Market, the Downtown Hollister Street Festival & Car Show and the Hollister Rally, according to advocates behind the push to get local control. Brenda Weatherly, executive director of the Hollister Downtown Association that partnered with COG in releasing the announcement, said the move should help ease any potential issues when planning those events. She also pointed out how it opens up the possibility of allowing for free-flowing pedestrian traffic during the gatherings, even on San Benito Street.
Her counterpart at COG, Rheinheimer, said local control of San Benito Street could help to revive the mostly shelved Downtown Strategy Plan. Local leaders developed the downtown plan more than five years ago. It includes a range of projects intended to create a more pedestrian- and bicyclist-friendly atmosphere. Much of its potential progress, however, has hinged on getting control of San Benito Street.
“What is seen in other case studies,” Rheinheimer said, “is when downtowns, development areas start putting in pedestrian-friendly, bicycle-friendly features – there are immediate benefits to local businesses. Sales taxes increase. There is private investment.”
And while the HDA and COG have partnered in releasing the monumental news, the effort has a long history as well. The idea of a highway bypass circling around the downtown district dates to the mid-1980s when San Benito County voters passed Measure A – a 1 percent sales tax measure for major road improvements that included a portion of the bypass funding.
Following the new road’s completion five years ago, Caltrans and local officials have haggled over details in the transfer or relinquishment, such as what side will pick up varying maintenance costs. They even disagreed about the definition of the change, whether it’s a transfer or relinquishment and what each meant, spurring further delays to the ownership swap.
In a few months, though, the city and local transportation officials finally get to look forward beyond the longstanding negotiations over ownership of the two roads. First, though, they will need that stamp of approval from the state recorder.
