CITY COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF HOLLISTER
Minutes of Special Meeting
September 11, 2023
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION NOTICE
CALL TO ORDER - 4:00 PM
Mayor Casey called the special meeting of the City Council of the City of Hollister to order at 4:05 p.m.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Councilmember Resendiz led the Pledge of Allegiance.
ROLL CALL
The Special Meeting of the City Council was called to order by Mayor Mia Casey on September, 11, 2023 at 4:00 PM in the City Council Chambers at 375 Fifth Street, Hollister, CA 95023.
Attendee Name
Mia Casey
Title
Mayor
Status
Arrived
Present
Present
Rick Perez
District 1
Rolan Resendiz
District 2
Present
Dolores Morales
District 3
Present
Tim Burns
District 4
Present
Mary F. Lerner
City Attorney
Present
Jennifer Woodworth
City Clerk
Present
Carlos Reynoso
Police Chief
Present
David Mirrione
City Manager
Present
Gordon Machado
City Treasurer
Absent
VERIFICATION OF AGENDA POSTING
City Clerk Woodworth reported the agenda for the City Council of the City of Hollister special meeting of September 11, 2023 was posted on the bulletin board at City Hall on September 7, 2023 at 2:40 p.m. per Government Code Section 54954.2.
CONSENT AGENDA
All items listed under the consent agenda will be enacted in one motion authorizing the actions indicated for those items so designated.
1. RESOLUTION NO. 2023-175 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF HOLLISTER AUTHORIZING THE CITY MANAGER TO
SUBMIT AN INCIDENTAL TAKE PERMIT AIRPORT'S RUNWAY 6 SAFETY IMPROVEMENT PROJECT AT A COST OF $30,014.25.
Mayor Casey opened public comment at 4:05 p.m.
There were no speakers for the consent agenda items.
Mayor Casey closed public comment at 4:05 p.m.
Councilmember Burns moved, and Councilmember Morales seconded the motion to approve the consent agenda items. Motion carried 5-0-0.
RESULT:
Adopted [Unanimous]
MOTION:
Tim Burns
SECOND:
Dolores Morales
AYES:
Casey, Perez, Resendiz, Morales, Burns
NOES:
RECUSED:
ABSTAIN:
ABSENT:
STUDY SESSION
2. DRAFT GENERAL PLAN, DRAFT CLIMATE ACTION PLAN, DRAFT
AGRICULTURAL PRESERVATION PROGRAM, AND DRAFT
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT
Development Services Director Christy Hopper introduced David Early with Placeworks, who led the City's consultant team for the General Plan update.
Mr. Early reviewed the purpose of the General Plan, its elements, proposed updates, etc. and described the public outreach and public involvement in the process. Mr.
Early described the proposed climate action plan, draft agricultural plan, and draft environmental impact report (DEIR) for the General Plan update. Mr. Early presented the various recommended changes to the proposed General Plan update recommended by the City's Planning Commission and highlighted various strategies for the City to meet its Regional Housing Needs Analysis (RHNA) numbers as required by the state.
Mayor Casey opened public comment at 5:27 p.m.
Joe Tonascia commented regarding his property in the City that is split by Union Road and requested the entirety of his property to be able to be developed uniformly.
Mr. Tonascia supported building housing on his property for agricultural workers.
Jennifer Churchill opposed re -designation of her property on Fairview from mixed use to commercial. Ms. Churchill requested it stay as a mixed -use designation.
Shawn Tennenbaum, Superintendent for the San Benito High School District, requested the City expand the sphere of influence to include the Buena Vista Corridor to include 50 acres for a future high school. Additionally, Dr. Tennenbaum requested expansion of the sphere of influence to include the district's Best Road property.
Jeffrey Small, Municipal Advisor for the San Benito High School District, commented City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 2 of 8
on the Facilities Master Plan for the school district and requested expansion of the sphere of influence to include the Buena Vista Corridor and the school district's Best Road property.
Karson Klauer commented on the Planning Commission's recommendations related to proposed rezoning of properties in the City and supported expansion of the City's sphere of influence to include two parcels south of Enterprise.
Graham Mackie supported preservation of agricultural land in the City in order to help increase commercial activity and attract business to the City.
Maria Gomes requested inclusion of her property in the City's boundaries.
Willis (Skip) Pack commented on the proposed zoning designation for his property in the northern area of the City and the impact of the designation on the agricultural value of the land.
Geary Coats spoke regarding his property in the North Gateway area and requested expansion of the allowed uses under the zoning designation, which could support implementation of the Climate Action Plan.
Dane Nabal supported expansion of the City's sphere of influence to include the Buena Vista Corridor.
Rene Baez supported use of accredited apprenticeship programs, providing healthcare benefits for construction workers, and hire of local workers and requested inclusion of language related to labor standards for developments in the City.
Matt Nohr commented on the current North Gateway zoning designation for his properties and requested rezoning to support complete use of the parcels to support economic development.
Carly Robles spoke regarding Mayor Casey's previous comments regarding economic development in Hollister. Ms. Robles expressed concern regarding traffic in the County and commented on the need for infrastructure maintenance and roadway improvements.
Bob Tiffany supported the expansion of the City's sphere of influence and stated the entire county should be looked at when considering expansion of the sphere, supported revisiting the agricultural preservation ratio of 2:1, and supported commercial and economic development, and setting the inclusionary housing percentage at 15%.
Alex Sywak commented on his proposed project stating it can provide medium - density housing and requested it not be designated as high density.
Devon Pack supported expansion of the City's sphere of influence to include the Buena Vista Corridor.
Carol Lenoir commented on the recommendations of the General Plan Advisory Committee and the need to promote economic development in Hollister.
Anne Hall expressed concern regarding the requirement for agricultural mitigation City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 3 of 8
lands to be located within the City limits and supported allowing mitigation land to be located within San Benito County. Ms. Hall supported inclusion of areas that are currently served by the City's utilities and surrounding properties in the City's sphere of influence.
Bella Rosales expressed concern regarding the City's draft General Plan update and expansion of the City's sphere of influence stating it is contrary to Climate Action Plan goals.
Elia Salinas supported expansion of the City's sphere of influence and commented on the precedent set for providing sewer service to properties outside the City's sphere of influence. Finally, Ms. Salinas expressed concern regarding the imposition of the builders' remedy requirement if a housing element is not approved.
Stewart Fahmy requested a low density designation for his properties.
Michael Anderson requested the City continue providing utilities to properties already being served by City utilities, including Santa Ranch.
Valerie Egland supported development of local areas to support multimodal transport to support climate action plan goals and a healthy community.
Dennis Martin supported expansion of the City's sphere of influence, setting the agricultural mitigation ratio at 1:1 which could be located anywhere in the County, and setting the inclusionary housing rate at 15% affordable housing. Mr. Martin opposed the public art requirements for residential development. Mr. Martin stated high density housing is likely not feasible in Hollister and requested a feasibility study be included in the General Plan if the high density housing requirement is approved.
John Robles expressed concern regarding the availability of water for the community.
Mayor Casey closed public comment at 6:27 p.m.
Councilmember Resendiz and Burns supported continuing the item to a future date to allow further discussion of the item and consideration of the public's comments.
Councilmember Perez supported taking action at the current meeting in order to move the process forward.
Mayor Casey expressed concern the Housing Element may not be certified by the state by January 1, 2024, which would allow the "builders remedy" requirement to apply. As a result, she supported moving forward with the General Plan update at the current meeting.
By consensus the Council directed staff to move forward with the Planning Commission's recommendations related to sphere of influence expansions and requested land use changes for Buena Vista Road, Chappell Road/Santa Ana Road, Meridian Road Special Planning Area, and Glenmore Drive.
By consensus, the Council directed staff to include the following land use changes in the General Plan update: update the designation for Buena Vista Road from High to City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 4 of 8
Medium Density Residential; update the designation for Chappell Road/Santa Ana Road from High to Medium Density Residential; update the designation for the Meridian Road Special Planning Area from Residential Estate to a mix of Medium and High Density Residential; and update the designation for Glenmore Drive from High to Low Density Residential.
By consensus the Council directed the staff to revise the Agricultural Preservation Program from a 2 to 1 preservation ratio to a 1 to 1 preservation ratio and to bring back additional information to a future Council meeting to consider whether the acquisition of Agricultural Conservation Easements should be located only within the City of Hollister Planning Area, as defined by the General Plan, or if eligible lands should be revised to include the purchase of lands outside the City's planning area (county -wide).
By consensus, the Council directed staff to include an action item in the General Plan the would explore implementing a public art project development fee to fund public art and cultural programming in the City of Hollister.
By consensus the Council directed staff to change the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance to require new market rate housing projects provide 15 percent of the total units as affordable.
The City Council recessed at 7:16 p.m. and reconvened at 7:30 p.m. with all members of Council present.
By consensus, the Council declined to give direction to allow a wider variety of uses, including large format such as industrial and logistics or residential uses if needed to meet RHNA for the 6t" Cycle Housing Element, in the North Gateway area. The Council directed staff to return with additional information regarding this topic at a future date for consideration and direction.
By consensus, the Council declined to include in the General Plan a commitment to providing wastewater services to the Santana Ranch project.
By consensus, the Council directed staff to include in the General Plan the Best Road high school site in the City's sphere of influence, along with the parcels immediately to the west of the site, up to the Planning Commission's recommended sphere change area east of Fairview.
By consensus, the Council declined to designate the property at the northwest corner of Hillcrest and Fairview Roads as mixed -use instead of commercial.
By consensus, the Council declined to include in the General Plan requirements for use of accredited internship programs, healthcare benefits for construction workers, and a local hiring program. By consensus the Council directed staff to return with a future Council item to discuss options to address the topic of setting labor standards for developments in the City.
By consensus, the Council directed staff to expand the sphere of influence to include areas that are currently served by the City's utilities and surrounding properties on the west end of the City near San Juan Hollister Road.
City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 5 of 8
Mr. Early described next steps for addressing land use designations in the expanded sphere of influence areas.
By consensus, the Council declined to consider an increase the minimum density for mixed use zones to 45 dwelling units per acre and keep the density at 30 dwelling units per acre.
By consensus, the Council directed staff that the "Leatherback" site could be considered as a potential affordable housing site for the 6` Cycle Housing Element if necessary.
3. INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ORDINANCE
Greg Goodfellow with Placeworks provided the staff presentation reviewing the proposed inclusionary housing ordinance requirements and public feedback received.
Mayor Casey opened public comment at 8:25 p.m.
Devon Pack provided information regarding the effectiveness of inclusionary housing fees and supported dispersal of affordable housing throughout a community.
Alex Sywak requested clarification regarding allowance of in lieu fees for rental housing and "for sale" housing, regarding the allowance to donate land, and regarding the costs to build affordable rate housing.
Carly Robles supported a 20% inclusionary housing requirement and supported a 1 % public art fee.
Karson Klauer supported on -site inclusionary housing and dispersal of affordable housing in the community, supported rental and "for sale" units in the same community, and supported use of in -lieu fees by the City.
Elia Salinas spoke against in -lieu fees and in support of splitting the requirements for low and very low income housing equally. Ms. Salinas supported the City applying for home key funds.
Dennis Martin stated a 15% requirement may potentially slow the development of affordable housing and recommended the City utilize a split compliance allowing affordable units be built and also payment of in -lieu fees.
John Robles thanked the Council for listening to the comments made by the public.
Julio Rodriguez opposed in -lieu fees and supported building affordable housing.
Rene Baez spoke against contractors that are not interested in paying construction workers a prevailing wage.
Mayor Casey closed public comment at 8:48 p.m.
By consensus the Council directed staff to return with an inclusionary housing ordinance that includes the following:
City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 6 of 8
- Split of the inclusionary housing requirement - 7% very low income, 5% low income, and 3% moderate income
- Projects of less than 10 units are exempt from the inclusionary housing requirements
- In -lieu fees will not be allowed for rental housing projects - In -lieu fees will not be allowed for "for sale" housing projects - Do not allow required units off site
- Do not allow for land to be dedicated in lieu of building affordable housing
4. GENERAL PLAN AMENDMENTS/ PREZONES/ SPHERE OF INFLUENCE
AMENDMENTS
Interim Planning Manager Eva Kelly provided the staff report.
Mayor Casey opened public comment at 9:22 p.m.
Jason Noble spoke regarding a proposed project at the corner of Union and Ladd Lane and requested the project be able to move forward with the prezoning and general plan amendment for the project.
Karson Klauer stated a moratorium on General Plan amendments may not be reasonable for projects that began several years ago. Mr. Klauer supported creation of a timeline for project review and response by City staff.
Elia Salinas supported creation of a City timeline to review and respond to project applications.
Stewart Fahmy requested to be able to move forward with his project at Union Road and Ladd Lane. Mr. Fahmy requested projects that are underway be allowed to move forward.
Paul Rovella spoke regarding the long timeline for his current project and requested a timeline for when development would be allowed to move forward again.
Mayor Casey closed public comment at 9:37 p.m.
Councilmember Burns supported creation of a timeline to review development projects and supported creating a process for quarterly General Plan amendments.
Councilmember Morales expressed concern regarding the long period for project review by the City and supported moving forward with the four applications for initiation of a prezone.
By consensus the Council agreed to continue the meeting after 10:00 p.m.
By consensus Council directed staff to bring forward a resolution for Council consideration to pause processing of applications for General Plan amendments for seven months or sooner with regular updates from staff during the General Plan update process.
ADJOURNMENT
Councilmember Resendiz moved, and Councilmember Morales seconded the motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:03 p.m. Motion carried 5-0-0.
City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 7 of 8
Respectfully submitted,
Jennifer Woodworth, MMC
City Clerk
City Council Monday, September 11, 2023 Page 8 of 8