San Juan Bautista
– Local developer Tod duBois hopes to make a big addition to the
Mission City.
San Juan Bautista – Local developer Tod duBois hopes to make a big addition to the Mission City.
DuBois is proposing a project on Muckelemi Street that he calls the San Juan Bautista Artisan’s Plaza. Preliminary plans include 10 live-work condominiums, restoration of the historic Chalmer’s House, a bed and breakfast, an art gallery, a wine tasting cooperative, and between 20 and 25 units of senior “co-housing,” which allows future residents to participate in the design and operation of their neighborhood.
The senior units are currently planned to be 900 square feet each, while the live-work condos will range from 750 square feet to 3,000 square feet. DuBois said he does not yet know what price the units will sell for.
When told about the project, San Juan Bautista painter Gayle Sleznick said, “I think it would make a nice addition to the community.”
DuBois, who was raised in Hollister and now lives in his grandparents’ old home in San Juan Bautista, has a personal stake in the construction. He said he will consider moving his office into one of the live-work condos, and he hopes his parents will live in the senior co-housing.
“We haven’t been able to find good quality senior housing in the area,” duBois said.
He added that the live-work condos will be aimed at artists. An arts-focused neighborhood will be a boon to local businesses and government, duBois said.
“Artists have been shown in several communities to bring a significant long-term improvement to the economy,” he said. “It’s such a powerful thing.”
Sleznick said she’s surprised there aren’t more artists in San Juan Bautista already. According to her, the city is a great place for artists.
“With all the massive transportation whirling around us … it’s rare that we tried and succeeded in maintaining a small, historical town like this,” she said. “It’s like a movie set.”
Sleznick added that she’s not worried about any competition the new development might bring.
“Art begets art,” she said.
The project’s conceptual design is scheduled to go before the city’s planning commission on Tuesday, and before the City Council on Dec. 19, duBois said. His goal is to get final approval by September of 2007, with construction starting soon afterward. If everything goes as planned, duBois said the plaza should be completed by 2009.
City Manager Jan McClintock said the decision will ultimately be up to the planning commission and City Council, but added, “It seems like he’s given it a lot of thought, and he’s been sensitive to the historic issues involved. It could be a very good project.”
DuBois also has two projects in the works in Hollister: a downtown hotel and a co-housing community on Vista Park Hill. Both of those are on hold, he said, because of the moratorium on sewer hookups.
“That’s why we’re kicking this off,” duBois said. “San Juan Bautista is in a better position to move on this than Hollister.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at (831) 637-5566 ext. 330 or ah*@fr***********.com.
