Hollister
– San Benito County’s general plan update has hit a speed
bump.
Hollister – San Benito County’s general plan update has hit a speed bump.
In October, the San Francisco-based consulting firm Dyett and Bhatia agreed to complete the plan’s “work scope” document – which will guide the update process – by April 25. But the consultants will be going before the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to ask for a six-month extension on that first phase.
“We were a little optimistic about how quickly it could get done,” said Art Henriques, the county’s planning director.
The main cause of the delay, Henriques said, is logistical – the holiday season made it hard to scheduled community meetings. According to county planning staff, the consultants have already held “stakeholder meetings” where government agencies and community groups could offer their suggestions for the update process. But Dyett and Bhatia plans to hold more meetings open to the general public.
Supervisor Reb Monaco, who’s been pushing for the update, said he doesn’t want to rush the process.
“I understand that logistically it can be very difficult … and I don’t have a problem with that,” Monaco said. “I just think we need to make sure we keep focused on moving forward.”
There can be some serious snags in the process of updating a county’s general plan. In Monterey County, it took six years to prepare a general plan that is still being contested.
But Hollister Planning Commissioner David Huboi, who was involved in the preparation of the city’s general plan, said he’s glad the county is taking the time to get public input.
“Public workshops re one of the most essential parts of the process,” Huboi said.
Huboi said he’s hopeful that the city Planning Commission, at least, will get more involved in the update process. “We’re part of the same community,” he said.
The general plan guides San Benito County’s long-term growth and development. It’s been more than 20 years since the entire general plan was updated; individual elements have been updated, but the county has never been able to pay the cost of a complete revision.
Once the work scope document is completed, the actual update can begin. Henriques said that if everything goes smoothly, the process should take around two years.
When the process began, Henriques told the Free Lance that the board had budgeted around $750,000 for the entire update.
At the supervisors’ meeting, Dyett and Bhatia will be requesting an extra $7,500 to cover their additional work, bringing their payment to $49,540. Henriques said the money will also pay for an expansion of the survey sent to county residents. Contrary to original plans, the survey will also include residents of Hollister and San Juan Bautista.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
