Hollister
– The County Planning Commission voted 3-2 Wednesday night to
nix plans for a 44-unit hotel in Tres Pinos.
Hollister – The County Planning Commission voted 3-2 Wednesday night to nix plans for a 44-unit hotel in Tres Pinos.
San Benito residents Jae and John Eade had hoped to build the hotel near the intersection of Sunnyside Road and Highway 25. Jae Eade, who sits on the Free Lance’s editorial board, said Thursday that she was disappointed and surprised by the commission’s decision.
“We sat there for over four hours and listened to all five commissioners say repeatedly what a great project it was,” Eade said. “Then to our shock, the commissioners voted it down … without finding or cause.”
Planning Commissioner Gordon Machado said the hotel is a good idea, but he couldn’t support the required change from residential to commercial zoning.
“I just couldn’t see changing the zoning when there are residents there already,” Machado said. “You invest your life in your home.”
The commission will consider the issue again on June 20, when it votes on approving a list of findings justifying the decision.
According to county planner Byron Turner, anyone can make an appeal to the Board of Supervisors for up to 10 days after a Planning Commission meeting, so the Eades have until June 30 to contest the decision.
Several hotel opponents said an appeal is almost guaranteed.
“They’ve put a lot of money into this thing,” Machado said.
However, Jae Eade said she and her husband haven’t decided how to proceed.
Ed Schmidt, who lives adjacent to the proposed hotel site, said he was relieved that the commission took his side.
“No one wants to live next to a hotel, no matter how nice it looks,” he said. “We were afraid it would be railroaded through.”
On the other hand, Planning Commissioner Mike Smith said he voted for the hotel because of its potential economic benefits.
“Frankly … I was (surprised by the decision), because staff did a great job of making the case to approve it,” he said.
As proposed, the hotel would have included 36 standard rooms, eight suites, a banquet room and a meeting room; it would have generated an estimated 242 trips per day, mainly on Highway 25.
Many Tres Pinos residents told the commission Wednesday that the hotel could ruin their quiet, rural community, but others talked about the boost it could give to business in Tres Pinos and San Benito County as a whole, especially the local wine industry.
Some wine growers, including Frank Leal and Susan Enz, have come out in favor of the project. Not everyone is sold, however. Before Wednesday’s meeting, Josh Jensen of Calera Wine told the Free Lance that it was unlikely the hotel would affect his business.
“I’m sort of Swiss on the whole thing,” Jensen said.
