Hollister released its draft 2040 General Plan, a local government’s blueprint for growth, in April for public review. Community members can provide input to the city during some of the planned events, or by email to generalplan@hollister.ca.gov.
The city will have a table at the Farmers’ Market in Hollister on May 17 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. to share its ideas about the 2040 General Plan. It will also hold a virtual workshop on May 18.
“The public review period on the draft General Plan will continue throughout the summer,” said David Mirrione, interim city manager. “There is no specific deadline at this time, however, following review of the draft plan, comments will still be able to be provided up until the ultimate final adoption of the General Plan.”
In addition to the general plan, the city also is developing the Draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) and Draft Agricultural Preservation Program.
According to the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR), “The General Plan’s guidelines serve as a resource to help jurisdictions draft and update their general plans. Technical advisory documents provide supplemental information about general plan topics in response to local needs around the state or changes in State law.”
General plans must be updated periodically and OPR states it traditionally is done every 15-20 years. However, the director of OPR can grant general plan extensions to cities and counties.
Hollister’s 2040 General Plan is an update and reorganization of its 2005 General Plan in an attempt to “preserve its historical and rural character and traditions, while rising to new opportunities and challenges. The General Plan is a tool for protecting Hollister’s past while guiding its future development. The General Plan encapsulates the current state of the city and presents a vision for the next 20 years of development.”
The 2040 General Plan is divided into 11 sections:
- Introduction
- Vision and Values
- Land Use and Community Design Elements
- Circulation Element
- Community Services and Facilities Element
- Economic Development Element
- Natural Resource Element
- Health and Safety Element
- Open Space and Agriculture Element
- Arts and Cultural Element
- Environmental Justice Element
Within the Introduction, the section titled Impact and Plan Adoption, states that, “Once adopted, the General Plan is the basis for land use and other municipal decisions. The plan itself is not a regulation; for implementation, it relies on tools such as the zoning ordinance, subdivision ordinance, design review, capital improvement program, and a variety of special purpose ordinances and programs.”
Land use
Of major importance to the future growth of the city is the section on Land Use Designations. There are seven categories included for land use:
- Residential estate—0.2 to one unit per gross acre is intended for single-family, residential units on large lots outside of Hollister’s city limits and Sphere of Influence (but is within the Planning Area). Residential Estate land uses are intended to provide sites for larger, distinctive residences in areas that the city does not provide public infrastructure.
- Low density residential—Six to 10 units per gross acre is intended to promote and protect single-family neighborhoods. Low density residential land uses are intended to provide sites for single-family detached and attached units, duplexes, and planned unit development units.
- Medium density residential—11 to 29 units per gross acre to provide greater housing choices in the city for different family sizes and incomes. New single-family detached residential development is not a permitted use.
- High density residential—30 to 65 units to provide opportunities for multiple-family residential development, including multifamily apartments and condominiums.
- Mixed-use commercial and residential—30 to 65 units per gross acre is intended to promote a vertical or horizontal combination of residential and commercial uses within a single building or site to encourage sales, service, office, and public uses on the ground floor with upper floors of office and residential uses. Horizontal mixed-use in this designation shall orient commercial uses near key intersections, and ensure that they are easily accessible, pedestrian oriented, and serve the surrounding residential uses. This category is for commercial activity that includes government and professional offices, neighborhood-oriented retail, community shopping centers, specialty stores, arts and crafts, woodworking, and assembly processes.
- Downtown commercial and mixed-use—30 to 125 units per gross acre allows commercial uses and residential uses, or a combination of the two. Special attention should be given to pedestrian circulation within the area to provide access to adjacent facilities and uses. The designation encourages ground floor, pedestrian friendly, retail sales and service uses with upper floors of office and residential uses. Allowed commercial uses include neighborhood convenience stores, restaurants, regionally oriented specialty stores, medical and dental offices, and residential units. Commercial uses that require drive-through windows or open-air car, truck and boat lots, automotive repair and body shops are prohibited downtown. Smaller vehicle sales are permitted within enclosed buildings.
- Home office—11 to 29 units per gross acre allow for residential and small-scale businesses, which include specialty, administrative and professional services. Non-residential buildings that share street frontage with residentially developed properties should maintain a residential character. The designation does not require office development; rather, it creates the option for offices in what is otherwise a medium-density residential district located near the downtown area and serves as a transitional zone between the higher intensity downtown area and surrounding established residential.
- West Gateway mixed-use—30 to 65 units per gross acre is intended to foster an attractive entry to the city of Hollister by featuring community shopping, retail, offices and residential uses. This designation requires projects to include a commercial component if within the radius of the West Gateway commercial nodes. The design guidelines described in the “Special Planning Areas” section of this element stipulates additional criteria that development within the West Gateway must meet.
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