Hollister
– The city harshly criticized developer Pulte Homes’ plans to
build a 4,400-home retirement community on the outskirts of town
earlier this month in a report on the effect the proposed
development would have on Hollister.
Hollister – The city harshly criticized developer Pulte Homes’ plans to build a 4,400-home retirement community on the outskirts of town earlier this month in a report on the effect the proposed development would have on Hollister.
The report, commissioned by the City Council earlier this year, examined the effect of the proposed development and expressed concern that it would burden city roads, tax the general fund and erode prime agricultural land through leapfrog development.
The city paid three independent consulting firms to analyze the project and write the report in an effort to better inform voters of the potential effects of the development. Voters will decide if the project goes forward in November by voting on an amendment to the general plan.
Critics of the report say the analysis is “fatally flawed” and have plans to correct the original report. The report has already been submitted to the City Council for review, but Hollister City Clerk Geri Johnson said further input from Pulte would be considered in an amended version of the report for future consideration.
Even with an amended report expected in the coming weeks, some on the City Council don’t like what they see.
“There are so many problems with this project,” Hollister City Councilman Doug Emerson said. “It’s not just one thing.”
Annette Giacomazzi, a local resident hired by Pulte to head lobbying efforts to get voter approval for the project, said the report was flawed. She said Pulte and subsidiary Del Webb plan to make significant corrections to the report and highlight errors within the document.
“We’re grateful the city is giving us an opportunity to point out the errors, omissions and the lack of corroboration for many of the outlandish facts contained in this report,” Giacomazzi said
The project, led by Pulte Homes and its subsidiary Del Webb, would increase the number of new homes built in Hollister between 2000 and 2023 by 75 percent, from 5,845 to 10,245, according to the report released this week. The report pointed out that such growth has not been planned for by the city, district or region.
Development plans
In February, Pulte and subsidiary Del Webb announced plans to build the senior community, which would include a public golf course and walking trails, on about 1,300 acres near Highway 156 and the Hollister Municipal Airport. Though the site is in the county’s jurisdiction, Pulte plans to have the land annexed into Hollister.
The company collected enough signatures in May to add an initiative to the November ballot amending Hollister’s general plan and exemption from growth controls. To accommodate the project, which would build about 600 houses annually during its estimated seven-year build-out, voters will have to approve amending Hollister’s general plan to create a “mixed-use residential growth community” land-use designation. Voters will also have to give the project an exemption from the city’s growth restrictions, which limit allocations for new residential units to 244 per year.
Although billed as a senior community, Pulte’s initiative is not specific as to exactly how many senior homes will be built. It could range anywhere from 35 senior housing units to 4,400, according to the report.
Giacomazzi said the company plans to build an “active adult community” and would lose its hard-won reputation as a developer if it built a community with 35 senior housing units instead of several thousand.
“Pulte is a company of integrity,” she said. “They would never get another project if they pulled a bait-and-switch like that.”
Effects on Hollister
The report said Pulte’s initiative does not “explain how Hollister’s street system could accommodate the 16,000 to 50,000 trips per day generated by 4,400 homes.” It goes on to state that many of the roads near the proposed development, such as San Felipe Road, Highway 25, Highway 156 and Flynn Road are already operating at capacity.
Giacomazzi said traffic effects were greatly exaggerated in the report and that Pulte planned to “correct” the information in an additional supplemental document and asked researchers to corroborate their facts and conclusions.
Hollister Mayor Robert Scattini said the report shows that Pulte’s plan isn’t beneficial to the city or its residents. Scattini said having the proposed senior community so close to the airport wasn’t safe.
“It’s bad for the city at this time,” he said. “It’s an unsafe location. If you build it there, someone is going to crash into someone’s living room.”
Scattini said the project might get more support if it was located elsewhere. In addition to being located near the airport, the proposed development also encroaches on a 100-year flood plain.
The report also states that, in addition to converting 500 acres of prime agricultural land to residential use, the project would “accelerate the conversion of adjacent prime farmland by increasing land values and creating conflicts between agricultural uses and new residents.” The initiative and subsequent development would also erode city policies designed to protect farmland, according to the report.
Costs to the City
In addition to encroaching on farmland, the development may also encroach on city finances, according to the report. It states that proponents of the Pulte initiative have said the new development would generate $648,000 less in revenues than it would cost in city services.
City staff believe the city will have to spend significantly more than developers have estimated to pay for police and fire protection. Such costs could, according to the report, result in “a total operating deficit of $1.3 million to $2.7 million per year.”
Giacomazzi did not dispute the revenue shortfall, but said Pulte has since fixed the problem.
“Pulte has guaranteed that there will be no monetary loss to the city,” she said.
Outcome not yet certain
Although some members of the City Council have already voiced their opposition to the project, Councilman Brad Pike said he hasn’t made up his mind.
“We’ve got to look closely at all opportunities,” he said Thursday. “We can’t just cast them aside right now.”
Pike said more information on the project before the City Council can take any stance on the proposal or ballot initiative.
“Time will tell on this one,” he said. “But we can’t ignore people who want to come in and build new infrastructure.”
Brett Rowland covers public safety for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or
br******@fr***********.com
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