While Gav is looking for alternatives to a future campus off San
Felipe, one local group urges the college not give up on
downtown
Hollister
– A Gavilan College subcommittee will review a report tonight
urging them to abandon the airport as a future site for a new
campus and reopen negotiations with the landowners near the north
side of Vista Park Hill.
Hollister – A Gavilan College subcommittee will review a report tonight urging them to abandon the airport as a future site for a new campus and reopen negotiations with the landowners near the north side of Vista Park Hill.
Gavilan President Steve Kinsella said, however, it’s extremely unlikely the college would reconsider that site based on the information provided by self-titled community committee, Independent Smart Growth Research Group.
“Basically this is all the same information we’ve been presented with before,” he said. “Construction on a hillside is quite a bit more expensive than on flat land, and a considerable percentage of our students have disabilities. They need to be able to navigate the campus from one end to the other.”
The group recently issued a memo proposing the college revisit the Hart property as a potential site for the future satellite campus. The Hart property, which is situated on the lower north end of Vista Park Hill, was one of the parcels Gavilan initially considered for a San Benito County campus, but was dismissed due to the price of the property, the difficulties inherent to building on a hillside, and possible issues with the seismic stability of the land.
Some local residents, however, feel that the site’s merits were not fully considered before the board of trustees voted to purchase 85 acres next to the Hollister Airport, and would have the board examine other options while the sale of the land is finalized over the next few months.
“There are substantial costs the college will incur trying to make a bad site work – they’ll have to build access (to the current proposed site) and that’s very expensive,” said Joe Morris of the Independent Smart Growth Research Group. “I’ve always made the argument that the decision to build by the airport were made to expedite the process of building in Coyote Valley, and had nothing to do with legitimate concerns. That said, I’m glad they’re working to correct that now.”
Two of the subcommittee’s members, Trustees Kent Child and Elvira Robinson, were informally presented with the proposal a few weeks ago, but the committee will be formally looking at the proposal at tonight’s board meeting. If the committee were to investigate and find an alternative site they prefer over the airport site, they could recommend that the board abandon their current plans. Exactly what Gavilan would have to do to back out of its agreement with the current parcel’s owners, however, is unclear.
“There isn’t a whole lot of new information out there, but they did come up with some specific creative ideas in terms of revisiting the site and purchasing it,” said Child, referring to the group’s proposal. “But it’s all conjecture at this point. It’s hard to tell if it’s a pipe dream or based on substance.”
Among the Hart property’s merits, states the proposal, are its proximity to Hollister’s downtown, easy accessibility and the fact that the Hollister Airport will be able to continue to operate unimpeded by the development of a college campus nearby. And while the current site along San Felipe Road is less expensive, costing about $4 million out of a $12.7 million Measure E earmark for San Benito County land acquisition and early construction, a location closer to the heart of the city will lend itself to partnerships with local government that will eventually save the college, and taxpayers, millions of dollars, according to the report.
Those most familiar with the airport’s operations support exploring sites farther away from the airport, for fear that developing so close could interfere with the airport’s operation in the future.
“We’ve spent a lot of time talking about this,” said Ruth Erickson, President of the Airman’s Association. “We all support moving away from the airport, but we don’t know if moving onto the hill is the best idea.”
The Hart property is divided into two parcels, one is 50 acres and the other is 30 acres. By selling off development credits on the 30 acre parcel, the proposal’s authors believe that Gavilan would be able to spend between $6 million and $8 million on property, leaving over $4 million of the earmark for construction.
In order to receive funding for a “full-service campus” from the state, the new campus would have to be at least 80 acres.
“If you look at those state requirements, they’re out of date,” said Christine Breen, one of the proposal’s authors. “Basically, 60 percent of the campus is supposed to go to parking and athletic facilities, and we don’t believe that’s necessary … Gavilan College has already said they are committed to going to the state and working around those requirements on the Coyote Valley project, and if they feel that strongly I hope that they would take a similar interest and long-term vision here.”
Since the land acquisition subcommittee was formed last month, Gavilan has received four other proposals, most informally, as to other potential sites. One possibility is a 70 acre parcel on Best Road, currently held by the San Benito High School District. Neither Gavilan officials or smart growth advocates, however, were able to comment on the sites’ merit, as they had not been presented with enough details.
The San Benito County Land Acquisition Subcommittee will receive the proposal tonight before the regular board of trustees meeting at the main Gavilan College Campus in Gilroy. The Subcommittee will hold its first formal meeting in Hollister at 6pm on April 25.
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or ds****@fr***********.com
