The City Council unanimously approved traffic mitigations for a
proposed four-lot subdivision at Cushman Street and Nash Road
Monday night, stirring up protests from neighborhood residents
worried the city has signed off on an agreement that left them
powerless to request future mitigations.
Hollister – The City Council unanimously approved traffic mitigations for a proposed four-lot subdivision at Cushman Street and Nash Road Monday night, stirring up protests from neighborhood residents worried the city has signed off on an agreement that left them powerless to request future mitigations.
Owned by a company called JaMann LLC, the 7.4-acre parcel is currently home to Gold’s Gym, the Salvation Army thrift store and a Java Express drive-though coffee shop. JaMann wants to divide the parcel so each of these businesses sits on an individual lot, and leave the unoccupied fourth lot available for new development. Although the owners don’t know yet what kind of business they’d be looking to bring in for the fourth lot, they’ve established mitigations based on a “worst-case scenario” of a medical office. This would add about 27 car trips a day to the busy intersection according to traffic studies commissioned by JaMann. The property owners have proposed to mitigate traffic impacts by adding additional lanes to Cushman Street and by waiting to develop the fourth lot until the Highway 25 bypass is complete.
“The bypass is intended to pull traffic off of Highway 25, and currently the traditional route (drivers take) is San Benito to Nash to Airline,” said Council of Governments Transportation Planner Mary Dinkuhn. “So, yes, this would take some traffic off Nash.”
But even though the council approved JaMann’s proposed mitigations Monday, some neighbors say they’re not enough. San Benito County Supervisor Pat Loe, who lives on Nash Road near the JaMann property, told the council Monday that by approving the mitigation report, they would be giving their blessing to a project with an uncertain end-result.
“It’s just very important to understand that if the council approves this mitigated declaration, you won’t get it back for mitigation issues. This resolution does not violate; it ignores. If you allow this to go forward, you will never be able to regulate the entire project again,” Loe told the council. “You have one chance. Once you set this subdivision up for approval, you are approving four projects. The people of Hollister will have to pay for this forever after the developer walks away.”
Loe also told the council Monday she was worried about how JaMann would deal with the wastewater from a new tenant, and clarified yesterday, “They’ve already said that they do have a plan for the traffic and they do have a plan for the wastewater, so I just want to see what it is.”
Other area residents, like Steve Rosati, are worried the mitigated negative declaration approved Monday is incomplete. Although Jason Noble, a Realtor representing JaMann at Monday’s meeting, told the council and concerned neighbors that the property owners would be willing to continue negotiating for further mitigations, Rosati said he wanted to see that promise in writing.
“You’ve got to get these conditions documented,” Rosati said. “I just want to make sure that if this is going to get approved, it’s with all the appropriate conditions.”
Rosati added he’d like to see a traffic and environmental study of the area done that includes the effects of the Highway 25 bypass. At previous meetings, Rosati had also voiced concern over JaMann’s decision not to pitch in for a $200,000 traffic light at Cushman and Nash that some believe might help calm the increased traffic.
Now that the council has approved the mitigated negative declaration, it most likely won’t see the subdivision on its agenda again. The subdivision will go back to the planning commission for approval, and the commission’s decision will be the final word on whether or not the subdivision happens. The subdivision would go back to the council only if the property owner or the neighbors appeal the vote, according to City Attorney Elaine Cass. If the commission approves the proposal to divide the property into four lots and the neighbors appeal that decision, or if the commission denies the subdivision and the property owners appeal the decision, the council would have the final say.
Jessica Quandt covers politics for the Free Lance. Reach her at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or at
jq*****@fr***********.com
.
