Hollister – A site has finally been chosen for Gavilan College’s Hollister satellite campus, but that is only the first of many decisions to be made about the college.
Gavilan trustees voted Tuesday to purchase an 80-acre parcel at Airline Highway and Fairview Road for the school’s new campus. With that decision behind them, they will begin the community discussion of the vision for the San Benito Campus.
“We intend to have a series of public meetings, not on where the site will be but how the site will be utilized,” Gavilan board member Kent Child said.
Steinberg Architects will be leading several community meetings to be held in San Benito County to discuss plans for the college.
“We need to decide, over the next 20 years, what kind of college do we want to grow? It’s a process that the community can and should be a part of,” said Jan Bernstein Chargin, Gavilan’s director of public information.
The community meetings will look at the architectural style and campus layout, as well as what type of educational and extra curricular programs will be available.
Gavilan officials will also begin the due diligence process: Studying the site in terms of water and sewage issues, seismic issues, and the much discussed traffic issues.
Traffic around the site of the college has been an item of concern by many members of the San Benito County community.
“A lot of the public’s concerns will be addressed during the due diligence process. One of the things that is hard for people to understand, is that in order for us to study mitigations, the board had to take action,” Bernstein Chargin said.
During the first six months of due diligence, the college will be free to break out of its purchase contract with Fairview Corners Dividend Home Properties, the company that is selling the land to the college for $8 million.
The process of building a Gavilan campus in San Benito County, which has already been two years in the making, is still in its early years.
After the due diligence is complete, infrastructure – including sewer, water and roads – will be developed. In about five years, the college will have a few portable buildings installed so it can establish enrollment and receive funding from the state.
The campus would develop into a full service campus in between 20 and 30 years.
