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Hapa Bros., a staple of the local food truck community, hopes its success will translate to the brick and mortar location in downtown Hollister that received architectural approval from the city Planning Commission on April 23.
The new outlet on 713 San Benito Street will require demolishing an existing storage facility located at the back of the building to make way for an outdoor patio.
Hapa Bros. co-founder Jason Ricketts said he was excited to be a larger part of the community.
“We truly believe this quick-serve Asian fusion restaurant will be a great addition to the city of Hollister, bringing a positive energy, jobs and something the community can enjoy for years to come,” he told the commissioners.
The sole concern raised by commissioners was parking requirements.
Senior Planner Erica Fraser said the city’s community development director removed a parking requirement of eight spaces for the indoor restaurant space in December on the condition that if the city ever establishes a parking in-leu fee, that the applicant pay the required fee for those spaces.
“They cannot provide any parking in that space,” Fraser said. “It is a very small lot within the downtown.”
Fraser added that there is street parking in addition to the city’s parking garage two blocks away on Fifth Street.
She noted the outdoor dining element increased the project’s parking requirement by six spaces, which the commission waived after a brief discussion over the issue.
“All I ask is, I hope 10 years goes by and it’s just packed and we’re dying for a new parking garage,” Commissioner Julio Rodriguez said.
In other business, the commissioners also approved a two-year extension for a tentative map and conditional use permit for a residential project approved in 2022.
The project is known as Kramer Commons and proposes 86 residential units, including 16 detached duets. It is part of the North Chappell Road Master Plan, which includes several residential projects between North Chappell Road and Hwy 25.
In a letter to the Planning Commission provided to the public, Tony Arreola with Silicon Valley Strategies said the property owners have made good faith efforts to move the project forward, including attracting potential partners, but stepped away from the project because of high interest rates, soft market conditions and challenges in navigating through the city’s process.
“Delays in project implementation have been influenced by factors largely beyond the applicant’s control, including economic conditions, construction cost escalation, financing constraints, and regional market uncertainty,” Arreola said.
Consultant Victor Gomez, representing the applicant, said they understood it was their “last opportunity to get this done,” and were hoping the market cooperates.
Prior to the meeting, the city held a joint meeting with the Hollister City Council and the commission that served as a follow-up to recent town halls where residents raised concerns with the city’s planning and permitting process.
Those meetings followed BenitoLink reporting on the challenges builders and property owners have faced in obtaining sign-off for various kinds of construction and repair projects.
Several public members who work or have worked as consultants said they were happy with the recent changes that they say have allowed projects to move forward faster.
They also suggested the city coordinate projected costs and fees in specific areas so that the first property owner to develop a site is not paying all the upfront fees while the rest of the property owners benefit later on.
Another issue brought up was parking requirements for churches.
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