Hollister
– The City of Hollister has agreed to pay three-fourths of the
$198,500 needed to prepare a new downtown strategy plan.
Hollister – The City of Hollister has agreed to pay three-fourths of the $198,500 needed to prepare a new downtown strategy plan.
The Hollister Downtown Association recently selected Irvine firm RBF Consulting to prepare the plan, which would outline steps for the HDA, the City of Hollister and other groups to revitalize the downtown area. But once the firm was selected, the HDA had to figure out how to foot the substantial bill.
The city’s redevelopment agency recently committed to pay $150,000 of the plan’s cost, according to HDA Executive Director Brenda Weatherly. HDA President Marilyn Ferreira said the grant is a sign of the city government’s commitment to the downtown area.
“They really understand the true value of downtown,” Ferreira said.
Redevelopment grants are separate from the city’s general fund, but the money is still divvied up by the Hollister City Council. Councilman Doug Emerson said helping out with the strategy plan was a no-brainer.
“That’s the whole idea of the (redevelopment agency),” Emerson said. “And if you want to do it right, it’s best to bring in professionals.”
Emerson added that he was impressed by RBF Consulting’s proposal.
“It’s very comprehensive, which is what really excited me,” he said. “There’s a tendency to approach these things in a more haphazard way.”
The HDA prepared a previous strategy in 1991, but its directors have said a new plan will help Hollister’s downtown take advantage of the Highway 25 bypass – they’re hoping the bypass will make San Benito Street more pedestrian-friendly when it opens in 2008.
But not everyone thinks downtown needs dramatic improvements. Although there wasn’t much San Benito Street pedestrian traffic Friday afternoon, Terry Pacheco and Veronica Harrington were enjoying a short break from their work at Winn & Company, and both said downtown Hollister already has gotten much better.
“They’ve done a lot of improvements geared toward entertainment,” Pacheco said.
Harrington added that things still could be improved.
“Maybe they could add more restaurants,” she said. “There’s not a lot of variety.”
Now that the city has committed to funding most of the plan, Weatherly said she’s working to round up the remaining $50,000. Community members already have pledged to donate about half of that amount, and Weatherly is hoping to get the rest of the money soon.
Weatherly also said she’s hoping to talk to RBF Consulting on Monday to begin nailing down specific tasks and a schedule for the strategy plan.
“Just because we have the funding, it doesn’t mean they’re ready to start,” she said.
