The Hollister Downtown Association and the San Benito County Chamber of Commerce are encouraging locals to attend an informational meeting that will discuss proposed changes for the San Benito Street corridor in downtown Hollister, including re-striping of the roadway as it changes from a four-lane to a two-lane street and adds mid-block crosswalks.
On Wednesday, Oct, 21 at 6 p.m., David Rubcic, Hollister’s interim city engineer and engineering manager, will discuss the changes designed to help slow traffic and provide for a safer and more pedestrian-friendly environment in the historic heart of the city. The meeting will take place at the Veterans’ Memorial Building at 649 San Benito St.
The Hollister City Council in February 2015 approved a downtown traffic study that included plans for so-called “traffic calming” and “road diet” measures that could begin as soon as next month, weather-permitting.
“The whole downtown area” along San Benito Street will receive the facelift, with the reduction in lanes and addition of crosswalks, Rubcic told BenitoLink. “With traffic calming, the idea is to slow traffic down so people will be able to cross streets and see what our downtown has to offer.”
The cost of the roadway changes are expected to be around $100,000, Rubcic said, though that will depend on bids the city receives from contractors.Â
When the state of California returned control of San Benito Street to the city after the completion of the Highway 25 bypass east of downtown, that set in motion plans to get people to enjoy a resource that many drive through.Â
“it’s all about trying to get people to be in the downtown area,” Rubcic said. “Making it easier for people to walk; easier for restaurants to attract people” He said the traffic calming efforts might lead restaurants to seek permission to put tables and chairs along the sidewalk to encourage outdoor dining.Â
“It’s a long project to get everything implemented,” Rubcic said. “This is just the first step.”
He encourages the public to attend Wednesday night’s presentation, as it will be a chance to not just see the city’s plans for downtown, but to provide input on those plans and ask questions.
“Our intent is to (do the lane re-striping) work in November, though some people have said the best thing to do is to wait until the end of the year to make changes,” Rubcic said. “The idea is to get it done as soon as wel can. We’ll take all the comments and give them due consideration.”
While some business owners have told Rubcic and other city officials they didn’t feel they had enough input into the downtown street plans, Rubcic noted that the plan was presented at meetings of the Hollister Downtown Association and at public city council meetings. “There’s been plenty of notice,” he said.
After receiving comment on the plan from the public at this week’s meeting, Rubcic said the call for bids to re-stripe San Benito Street will appear on an upcoming city council agenda. Once those bids are received, the council will review and consider approval of them, at which time a timeline for the work should be clarified.
For more information, contact Rubcic at 831-636-4340 or by email at david.rubcic@hollister.ca.gov.