San Juan Bautista
– The City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward
with a special election for Tod duBois’ proposed Artisans’ Plaza
development.
San Juan Bautista – The City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with a special election for Tod duBois’ proposed Artisans’ Plaza development.
The mail-in ballots will ask voters if the project site at 70 Muckelemi Street should be exempted from San Juan Bautista’s growth management ordinance. The ballots are scheduled to be counted on Aug. 28.
The council also approved a contract with the Anaheim-based Martin and Chapman Co. to administer the election. Although city officials will ultimately be responsible for certifying the election results, City Manager Jan McClintock said Martin and Chapman will take most of the work out of the city’s hands.
A competing bid from Harris & Associates required too much time from city staff, McClintock said.
“We don’t have the staff to do it,” she said.
In the past, councilmembers and staff have said the Artisans’ Plaza could help boost San Juan Bautista’s ailing economy, but on Tuesday they focused on ensuring that the city doesn’t foot the election bill.
“I want the check before it starts,” Councilman George Dias said.
The resolution approved by the council calls for duBois to pay the estimated $13,000 cost within 15 days.
DuBois’ plans call for 10 live-work condominiums, a bed-and-breakfast inn, an art gallery, a regional visitor center and between 20 and 25 units of senior “co-housing,” which allows residents to participate in the design and operation of their neighborhood.
The Mission City’s growth ordinance caps residential growth at 1 percent per year, which duBois has said would make a project the size of the Artisans’ Plaza impossible. Now that the election has been approved, duBois plans to step up his efforts to sell San Juan Bautista residents on the project. DuBois said he may even hire a professional help to manage the campaign.
“I feel like I’m running for office,” he said.
DuBois will also host a meeting Saturday to promote the project to both potential residents – namely, seniors who live on the central coast – and to San Juan Bautista voters.
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
