The San Benito County Planning Department told Supervisor
Anthony Botelho last week he could not store bakery delivery trucks
at his apple packing plant because the property is zoned for
agricultural use only.
Hollister – The San Benito County Planning Department told Supervisor Anthony Botelho last week he could not store bakery delivery trucks at his apple packing plant because the property is zoned for agricultural use only.
Botelho had allowed San Jose-based Svenhard’s Swedish Bakery to store three delivery trucks on his property, 10 Flint Road, for use on deliveries in San Benito County, he said.
The trucks were previously stored at San Juan Bautista’s 76 station on the corner of Monterey and Muckelemi streets, Botelho said. The station closed after 17 years of service in early July due to a tenant-landlord dispute.
“This company goes back a long way with my family,” Botelho said.
The supervisor said the trucks were being stored at the packing plant so drivers would not have to make the commute to San Jose.
He said he believes the restriction on the property highlights a problem with the county’s general plan. He said the county needs to evaluate all of its land-use policies.
“We can’t have businesses outside of the city limits, and I think there’s a problem with that,” Botelho said.
County Planning Director Art Henriques said a code enforcement officer visited the property last week. Henriques noted how the bakery was forced to move quickly and needed a temporary fix.
Nonetheless, storing the vehicles on land zoned for agricultural use is a violation of county ordinances, Henriques said.
The planning department gave the bakery some advice for the relocation of its trucks.
“We encouraged them to speak with the City of Hollister since they have an active redevelopment agency,” Henriques said.
A code enforcement officer will visit the property again within the next few weeks to ensure the trucks have been moved, Henriques said. The vehicles have relocated, Botelho said.
“We were in constant dialogue with the Planning Department,” Botelho said. “There were no secrets.”
