The Board of Supervisors gave final approval Tuesday to a
controversial change to the county’s growth rules.
Hollister – The Board of Supervisors gave final approval Tuesday to a controversial change to the county’s growth rules.
Moving the election to approve developments of 100 units or more, requiring a general plan amendment, from the beginning of the planning process to the end might seem like a minor change. But opponents said the revisions are an attack on their ability to shape land-use in San Benito County.
Those in favor of the changes – including four of five county supervisors, as well as Ray Becker, project manager for the proposed El Rancho San Benito development – said the revisions will allow voters to have a better sense of a project’s impact.
Supervisor Anthony Botelho noted that plans often change during the process. Based on his experience on the Planning Commission, Botelho said projects never “come in and still go out in the same form.” Botelho and others also insisted that no one’s rights are being attacked.
The supervisors previously considered a compromise ordinance that would have called for a binding vote at the end of the planning process and an advisory vote at the beginning, but they rejected that idea. Supervisor Pat Loe continued to be the lone opposing vote. At past meetings, Loe has said moving the election until after environmental review is done and the board has approved the project means voters are being asked to “rubber stamp” a done deal.
County resident Janet Brians has spoken out against the changes in the past, but on Tuesday she pointed out parts of the ordinance that she supports, including the introduction of the transfer of density credits program, which promotes the preservation of agricultural land from development.
San Benito County isn’t the only place where the tension between growth and agriculture remains a controversial issue. Napa County voters put similar restrictions in place when they approved Measure J in 1990.
