A committee guiding the year-long process of updating
Hollister’s General Plan held its third meeting Tuesday
– but this time with a change of pace and three fresh
perspectives.
A committee guiding the year-long process of updating Hollister’s General Plan held its third meeting Tuesday – but this time with a change of pace and three fresh perspectives.
City Council members Tony LoBue, Robert Scattini and Pauline Valdivia were in attendance at the meeting. At its last meeting in May, the committee requested the Council to make an appearance.
LoBue said the meeting – which focused on housing, public facilities and the natural environment – was productive. He also was impressed by the attendance of residents.
“A lot of speakers and people that care about the community showed up and gave input,” LoBue said.
Architect David Huboi, a member of the General Plan Steering Committee, said the joint meeting went “really well” and all the Council members added beneficial input. He said LoBue’s knowledge regarding agricultural land and Valdivia expressing a needed awareness for senior and affordable housing issues were important.
“I think we really need to address rental properties and rental development, which we haven’t seen in Hollister since 1993,” Huboi said.
Huboi also shared knowledge about alternative forms of energy, much of which he said has not been addressed in previous General Plans. For instance, more conscious orientation of a home’s windows – with at least 40 percent of them facing south – can save on heating and cooling costs by up to 16 percent, he said.
The General Plan, which was last updated in 1995, is the community’s shared vision for future development and orderly growth, according to the State of California General Plan Guidelines 2002.
The General Plan includes seven main elements, including housing, land use and a city design element – the latter of which has people in each neighborhood choosing a distinct personality for their sector of the city.
Community Development Director Bill Card is overseeing the process, which is scheduled to include seven more committee meetings and three more community visioning workshops – which focus around residents’ input in a town-hall environment.
Committee member Charlie Scott said he hopes for a good turnout at the next workshop June 21. The meetings are held at the Community Center.
“I think those are more important (than Steering Committee meetings) as far as community input,” Scott said.
