Construction has broken ground on the Walgreens project at the core of a debate between Caltrans and the city over a driveway entrance.
Walgreens has a goal of opening the 14,550-square-foot store near Tres Pinos Road and Highway 25 by October after agreeing about a year ago to buy the 1.47 acres there owned by the city for about $900,000.
While the construction of a Walgreens store by developer Hawkins Companies was never in doubt, the city did initially expect that the builder could place a sewer line under Tres Pinos Road, which is still owned by the state. Caltrans officials, though, have opposed issuing the encroachment permit for the sewer line.
Caltrans development review official John Olejnik stressed to the Free Lance that the agency has not had any problems with the sewer line or landscaping that would cause a denial. Olejnik clarified Caltrans’ position – that the planned Walgreens driveway is too close to the nearby intersection – in response to comments made by a Hollister official who had expressed confusion over the state’s reluctance regarding the sewer permit.
Caltrans finished its review March 18 and sent a letter to the developer declining the permit due to the driveway matter, while mentioning other minor issues, too, such as landscaping, Olejnik said. Hawkins Companies, meanwhile, has started the construction and will run the sewer line to Park Street instead, said Hollister Community Development Director Bill Avera, noting that the city does own the right-of-way and can allow the driveway.
Olejnik said he had exchanged emails with Avera and was “clear” about the driveway issue being the core of the reluctance. He said developers in general have a right to connect to a state highway – Caltrans currently owns Tres Pinos Road but will eventually relinquish it to Hollister – but that the state still must ensure a safe flow of traffic on and off the road.
He said the land there was never intended for development use.
“We have to be against it,” Olejnik said. “The proximity is so close to the intersection of Tres Pinos Road and Highway 25.”
As for that driveway, Avera estimated it is about 75 feet away from the intersection and said it is a similar setup as the Rite-Aid entrance nearby on Highway 25. He said the Walgreens builder is going ahead with the entrance as originally planned.
The Caltrans official said it doesn’t matter that the state is in the midst of transferring ownership of the old Highway 25 route – including the Tres Pinos Road stretch – to the city as part of a long-planned swap involving the bypass construction.
“As long as that is under the state’s jurisdiction, we have a responsibility to make sure the traffic ingress and egress are the safest and most efficient possible,” Olejnik said. “It is still part of the state inventory.”
Avera said it is a city right-of-way, though. His main concern at this point is ruffling feathers at Caltrans.
“To be honest with you, I think we’re concerned because I don’t necessarily think we need to be poking a bear,” he said.
He said the city respectfully understands the state’s concerns.
“We don’t believe Caltrans has much of a leg to stand on,” Avera said.
