Just weeks after three San Benito County supervisors left
office, there’s a chance their final vote to approve the
controversial Hillside Ordinance will be overturned.
Hollister – Just weeks after three San Benito County supervisors left office, there’s a chance their final vote to approve the controversial Hillside Ordinance will be overturned.
The Hillside Ordinance, which was approved by the prior board in December is back on the Jan. 25 Supervisors agenda for public comment, according to Dist. 1 Supervisor Don Marcus, who proposed the resurrection of the ordinance discussions.
Marcus said he felt several of the guidelines and restrictions in the ordinance needed tweaking, but declined to say which ones before Tuesday’s meeting.
“I believe that there are a couple of line items that still need to be addressed, and I feel that this needed to be brought back on the table sooner rather than later so that if anybody wanted to speak on it they would have time,” Marcus said.
About 40 county residents attended the county meeting when the ordinance was approved, and most of those who spoke strongly opposed the ordinance.
The Hillside Ordinance, which was approved 3-1 by the San Benito County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 7 is intended to constrain the design, size and development of homes on the county’s hillsides, according to planning department reports. The ordinance only applies to houses built in subdivisions of more than five houses and on hillsides with a slope of more than 15 percent. The restrictions also limit floor area to 10,000 square feet and include a height limit of 28 feet.
Former Dist. 2 Supervisor Ruth Kesler, who voted to approve the ordinance, said she was aware of the new board’s intentions to continue discussion but that the situation was out of her hands.
“We (the old board) approved it and they want to change it. And we’re gone now so we can’t do anything about it,” she said. And as for whether new discussions will have any effect on the ordinance, she said, “I have no idea.”
Dist. 5 Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz, who before taking office pledged to oppose the hillside ordinance, said he hoped for a good public turnout.
“I’m very happy that we’re bringing it up for consideration,” said De La Cruz. “I just want the public to have an opportunity to say how they feel about the Hillside Ordinance so we can then take those comments we get at the meeting to the planning commission and they can review it.”
Farm Bureau President Paul Hain also said he was glad to see it being revisited.
“We’re very happy Supervisor Marcus listened to his constituents and decided to put it back on the agenda to see what people have to say about it,” he said.
De La Cruz and Marcus aren’t the only ones ready to rehash the issue. Dist. 2 Supervisor Anthony Botelho said Thursday he was unhappy with the old board’s rush to approve the ordinance despite the planning commission’s recommendation they reject it.
“I felt that the previous board adopted the Hillside Ordinance prematurely and for the wrong reasons,” Botelho said. “I feel we need some guidelines and criteria to develop our hillsides, if we’re going to develop them at all.”
Botelho and De La Cruz also declined to comment on any specific guidelines they’d like to see adjusted, but said they hoped the planning commission would hold several workshops, as it has done in the past, to gauge public sentiment.
Marcus has Board Chairman Reb Monaco’s support in putting the item back up for discussion, he said. In December, Monaco was the lone dissenting vote when the three other supervisors present approved the ordinance.
“I support it (bringing the ordinance back for discussion) because it was obviously controversial before it was adopted. There were people who were really concerned about adopting it, and the planning commission opposed it, which is why I voted against it. There was obviously some more things that we needed to take a look at,” Monaco said, adding he couldn’t speculate on whether the new public discussions will result in an overturning of the ordinance.
While De La Cruz did not say what he thought the final verdict would be, he did say the board’s decision to open the issue back up for discussion is an indication of things to come.
“I don’t know if it’s a new direction in leadership, but it’s a good sign that the current board wants community input,” he said.
Pat Loe, the only remaining supervisor from the previous board who voted for adoption of the ordinance, couldn’t be reached for comment Thursday.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at [email protected].
