An old, forgotten property line is complicating plans to bring
new bathrooms to Mission San Juan Bautista. Restrooms are actually
a hot topic in San Juan Bautista, because many locals have said a
dearth of toilet facilities has dealt a blow to the city’s economy.
Without enough bathrooms, tourist buses don’t want to visit the
Mission City, and without tourists, the city doesn’t get enough
sales-tax revenue.
San Juan Bautista – An old, forgotten property line is complicating plans to bring new bathrooms to Mission San Juan Bautista.
Several months ago, the diocese hired local architect David Huboi to design new restrooms that would be more accessible to the mission’s visitors. The old restrooms, Huboi said, are “dilapidated” and can be visited only by traveling a “torturous route” to the back of the mission. The new ones would be easily accessible from the gift shop, and would be built as an extension of the mission building toward Second Street.
“They’ve been wanting these restrooms for some time,” he said.
Restrooms are actually a hot topic in San Juan Bautista, because many locals have said a dearth of toilet facilities has dealt a blow to the city’s economy. Without enough bathrooms, tourist buses don’t want to visit the Mission City, and without tourists, the city doesn’t get enough sales-tax revenue.
With land available within the mission’s walls, property acquisition didn’t seem like it would be a problem. Then Huboi pulled out the property map, and he realized things wouldn’t be so simple after all.
The problem, he said, is a “skewed” property line between the mission’s land and the City of San Juan Bautista’s property on Second Street. According to that line, the land targeted for the restrooms actually belongs to the city, as does a part of the mission’s old foundation.
Huboi took his concern to the City Council hoping that the city could just donate the land to the mission. Once again, things turned out to be a little more complicated.
City Manager Jan McClintock said there’s another catch: Any donation of land would be considered a “gift of public funds.” The city can’t donate public land to a private entity any more than it can just give away taxpayer dollars.
“We have to do some sort of appraisal and calculation,” she said.
McClintock added that this confusion, where property lines don’t sit exactly where residents would like or expect, is “not unusual” in old towns, even though she’s never encountered a similar situation in the Mission City.
“It never usually comes up until somebody wants to build something,” she said.
Local engineer Matt Kelly said the land in question amounts to around 4,735 square feet. Kelly’s been doing more research into the property maps, some of which date back to the 1800s.
That skewed property line also means around 1,135 square feet of Second Street technically belongs to the mission, Huboi said, and that land will be donated to the city. Unfortunately, a simple swap isn’t possible, because the two parcels probably aren’t worth the same amount of money.
The situation isn’t. Once an appraisal is complete, the mission can pay the city for the land and finalize its plans. Huboi admitted to being “a little frustrated,” but he really just wants to get back to work.
“This issue should have been corrected a long time ago,” he said. “I just want to get it resolved so we can get this started.”
