The city is drawing up plans for development of the Hollister
Municipal Airport. But Andrew Barnes, who has promised to bring
millions of dollars to the local economy, said Hollister isn’t
moving quickly enough.
Hollister – The city is drawing up plans for development of the Hollister Municipal Airport. But Andrew Barnes, who has promised to bring millions of dollars to the local economy, said Hollister isn’t moving quickly enough.
“The City Council had an opportunity to move ahead and do something, but obviously, they seem to be afraid of doing that,” he said.
Barnes said he “pleaded” with the council members Monday to approve plans prepared by his company ABVision to develop six corporate hangars at the airports.
Those plans could generate jobs, rent dollars and around $1.5 million in annual taxes for the city’s general fund, Barnes contends.
Councilman Doug Emerson, on the other hand, said many of Barnes’ claims about the hangars’ economic benefit seem “overstated.” And instead of approving ABVision’s plans, council members told the Airport Commission to prepare a request for proposal, or RFP, from potential airport developers. Once the council approves the document, its members will choose from all the proposals that come in.
A city staff report estimated that the entire process would take six to eight months. Mayor Brad Pike said he wants to speed the process up, so he asked city staff to bring the RFP to the council within three months.
Since the RFP is only the first step, the entire application process will likely extend months beyond the three-month deadline.
On Wednesday, Emerson said the council made the right decision.
“Let’s look at the totality of it,” Emerson said. “We’re still going to get that economic development, either from ABVision or from another company.”
Barnes, who submitted his proposal to the city several months ago, said he’s getting fed up with the delays. He argued that the newly-reformed Airport Commission, which is supposed to advise the City Council on airport issues, isn’t qualified to prepare an RFP.
“Three months from today, they will not have an RFP ready,” Barnes said. “If it doesn’t happen in three months, we won’t be there anymore, because it will probably never happen.”
He also disputed that it’s “irresponsible” for the council members to push for a sales tax increase while discouraging a project that could single-handedly solve Hollister’s financial woes.
Airport Commissioner Gordon Machado agreed that economic development at the airport is a top priority.
But Machado said before the city starts approving projects, it needs to create clear guidelines for applicants.
“We’re in a regional market now,” Machado said. “The demand will be there. We better know what we want and when we want it and be very firm about it.”
The plans are complicated by Hollister’s commitment to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection to lease the firefighting agency 10 acres at the airport for a new air-attack base.
City Manager Clint Quilter has said the unresolved lease negotiations began in 2001.
Barnes has said if all 10 acres go to CalFire, his project wouldn’t be economically viable.
The city will coordinate with CalFire as the Airport Commission and City Council move forward with their plans, Quilter said.
And Airport Manager Bill Gere said he wants to work with all potential developers so everyone’s needs are met in some way.
“The airport’s a big place,” he said. “We can accommodate everybody.”
