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For more than a decade, the San Benito High School District has sought to close off for good the portion of Nash Road that intersects the Hollister High campus.
Now, Hollister officials may give that portion of the street’s right-of-way to the school district, which would close it permanently.
The district has argued the closure is to ensure the safety of students and staff.
On Aug. 27, the Hollister Planning Commission determined that vacating the part of Nash Road between Monterey and West streets conforms with the city’s General Plan. The move is the first step in relinquishing the public right-of-way.
There is no indication when the Hollister City Council will consider the issue. The council has the final say in the matter.
The closure is part of a 2018 agreement between the school district, the city of Hollister and San Benito County. The agreement includes the construction of River Parkway, the county lease of a property identified as the Riverview Regional Park, and potentially closing Nash Road.
San Benito High School District Superintendent Shawn Tennenbaum said at the Planning Commission meeting that first responders would still have access through the gates bracketing the section of roadway at issue because the school will not be building anything over the roadway.
He said all fire department vehicles have a censor that enables them to open the gates if they need to travel on Nash Road. He did not indicate whether police and sheriff vehicles are equipped with the censor.
No law enforcement official spoke on the item, but in the past, Battalion Chief Charlie Bedolla has spoken against the permanent closure, saying he was concerned about the added response time for firefighters and that it was difficult to have fire engines travel on the neighboring residential roads.
However, San Benito County Sheriff Eric Taylor said his deputies didn’t anticipate issues and noted they drove smaller vehicles compared to firefighters.
The impact of a closure on response times for emergency vehicles has been a primary concern among officials and public safety personnel over the years. They have said the time it takes to go around the campus is significant compared to traveling on Nash Road. Other concerns have included the potential increase of traffic on neighboring residential streets.
There were no public speakers at the meeting who opposed the project.
In a letter of support included in the meeting’s agenda documents, the district notes its 3,400 students and staff regularly cross Nash Road when traveling between the school’s classrooms and facilities.
According to the letter, which is signed by eight people including high school district trustees and school administrators, the need for a permanent closure is underscored by eight vehicle-related incidents which have damaged portions of the gates since their installation in 2018.
“These incidents demonstrate the ongoing safety risks created when motorists attempt to travel through or navigate around this area,” the letter states. “A permanent closure, accompanied by appropriate signage, would provide consistency and greater clarity to drivers and direct them toward well-established alternative routes, including River Parkway and the surrounding West and Monterey Street corridors.”
The letter also notes the school district “financially supported” the construction of River Parkway, which is intended to provide motorists an alternative route around the campus.
“A permanent closure, accompanied by appropriate signage, would provide consistency and
greater clarity to drivers and direct them toward well-established alternative routes, including River Parkway and the surrounding West and Monterey Street corridors,” the letter states.
Commissioner Peter Hernandez asked about gate access for first responders and expressed concern.
Commissioner Carla Torres De Luna said, “It is going to be safer,” before the commission adopted the resolution.
Before discussing the Nash Road right-of-way proposal, the commission approved the subdivision of four parcels on Cushman Street, adjacent to the Gold’s Gym, for a 44-unit apartment project.
According to the staff report, the apartments are part of the Los Pinars Subdivision, which the city approved in 2017.
Al Valles with the property owners Valles and Associates said he was seeking to subdivide two parcels into four because to make it easier for him to obtain loans to finance the construction of each building separately.
In addition to the apartments, the project consists of 26 town homes and 15 single-family homes.
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