Hollister
– The final Planning Commission vote on a proposed 44-unit hotel
in Tres Pinos has been delayed until Aug. 1.
Hollister – The final Planning Commission vote on a proposed 44-unit hotel in Tres Pinos has been delayed until Aug. 1.
Commissioner Dan DeVries said he wanted to wait for hotel opponent Ed Schmidt to return from a trip to Norway. Schmidt lives next to the proposed hotel site.
“The property most impacted is Schmidt and he’s not here,” DeVries said.
Plans for the Spur Hotel brought crowds of speakers to commission meetings on June 6 and June 20, and the large turnout continued Wednesday. The speakers echoed comments made at earlier meetings. Hotel supporters said the project would be a big boost to the county’s economy, while opponents said the residential location is the wrong spot for a hotel.
“If you’re not growing, you’re dying,” said Hollister resident Vedana Freitas. Building a hotel, she said, is “better than covering our hills with houses.”
One of the last speakers, 16-year-old Joe Frusetta, pointed out that many Tres Pinos residents signed a petition against the hotel. Those signatures accounted for about 80 percent of the town’s 500-person population, he said.
“If 80 percent of people in Hollister or San Juan Bautista signed a petition against something, you can darn well believe it wouldn’t happen,” Frusetta said.
Planning Commissioner Richard Bettencourt, who voted in favor of the hotel developers, asked audience members to raise their hands for or against the project, and plenty of people supporting both sides raised their hands.
“It’s about 50-50,” DeVries said.
On June 6, the commission voted 3-2 to deny the developers’ request for a zoning change and commercial district review, blocking the project. Commissioners told county planners to come back with a list of findings for denial to finalize their decision. On June 20, the commissioners voted to delay a final decision to give the developers more time to work with county staff.
Before voting, DeVries also asked whether the commission should wait until absent Planning Commissioner Robert Scattini – who was appointed in June – could vote.
Deputy County Counsel Shirley Murphy confirmed that past commissions have delayed votes on major issues until all commissioners were present.
“(But more recent commissions) made the decision that they didn’t want to hold projects up just to have a full set,” Murphy said.
Planning Commissioner Gordon Machado first made a motion to deny the developers’ request. DeVries, who voted against the zoning change on June 6, initially abstained. After further discussion, he eventually voted against denial.
Planning Director Art Henriques has said a Planning Commission recommendation in favor of the hotel would have to be approved by the Board of Supervisors. A denial could also be appealed to the board, he said.
After the meeting, hotel opponent Sue Alvarado said she wasn’t surprised by the delay.
“I felt (DeVries) was on the fence, just trying to come up with a reason to wear us down,” she said.
Jae Eade, who is developing the project with her husband, John, sits on the Free Lance editorial board.
“All I can say is, I’m disappointed that they didn’t take action tonight,” John Eade said.
