Former cement plant to be converted to offices, park
For years the old cement plant in San Juan Bautista sat empty
and unused. There is not much left of the old plant. In its place
are plenty of green fields and the remains of the limestone that
was used to make the cement when the plant was operational. All of
the structures have been removed.
Former cement plant to be converted to offices, park
For years the old cement plant in San Juan Bautista sat empty and unused. There is not much left of the old plant. In its place are plenty of green fields and the remains of the limestone that was used to make the cement when the plant was operational. All of the structures have been removed.
During the 1990s, town organizers started looking at ways to incorporate the space where the plant was back into the city’s South San Juan specific plan, but plans were put on hold until the city could get a handle on the water and sewer situations it was facing at the time, according to Jan McClintock, San Juan’s city manager.
This week, the city staff hosted events including interviews with public leaders; stakeholder interviews; a public workshop and a walking tour of the area where the cement plant is located to get input on how the space would be best used.
The cement plant is located on 490 acres and proposed plans would have the city developing 190 acres for commercial use, including offices, an amphitheater and a hotel and conference center. The other 300 acres would remain as permanent park space.
“The idea was to look at the area and design a cohesive plan for the parcel,” McClintock said, of the events. “So it wasn’t just filled in willy-nilly. The idea is to take public input and incorporate that into the ideas for the space. This would all be tied to the flavor and history of San Juan and would increase the amount of park space in San Juan significantly.”
The area where the cement plant is located, south of San Juan is culturally significant, McClintock said. It is a gateway to the San Juan canyon and may house many Native American artifacts from the Ohlones who used to live there, which is why the city officials are working with the tribe as part of the specific plan.
“We’ve reached out to a lot of people. There are many stakeholders,” McClintock said. “All of the city council members are involved in the process as is the historical resource board. We’ve also reached out to the national parks service nature trail division to be a stakeholder.”
Any development that eventually happens at the site would have to meet the design guidelines currently used throughout the city, McClintock said.
“This is a way for San Juan to further tourism and diversify the economic base,” McClintock said. “With business buildings, places where we can have sales offices and one of the local colleges could offer extension courses. It would be a business-park type environment.”
