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A proposed land-use initiative aiming to slow growth has gathered sufficient signatures and is now heading to the San Benito County Board of Supervisors. The board can adopt the initiative and make it law or call for an election, likely placing it on the November ballot.
Ana De Castro, the county’s chief deputy clerk-recorder- for elections, said the department completed the certification process for the 3,480 signatures May 21.
She said the office used a sample of 500 signatures in which it found 81 not sufficient because the person was not registered, the signature didn’t match a signature on file, or their address didn’t match. These weren’t counted. She said it is projected the proponents gathered 2,875 valid signatures. The initiative requires a minimum of 1,985 signatures to move forward.
On May 14, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a proposal to conduct an Elections Code 9111 impact report for the initiative, which is titled Empower Voters to Make Land Use Decision Initiative, for an amount not to exceed $50,000. The report is intended to inform the board of supervisors and the voting public of potential consequences if the measure is adopted.
The measure involves the previously designed county business nodes, the John Smith Landfill and forces zoning changes outside of San Juan Bautista and Hollister to go before the voter.
In his presentation, County Counsel David Prentice said the report will include an impartial analysis of the following:
- Fiscal impacts
- Effect on internal consistency with general and specific plans, housing element and zoning
- Effect on use of land and ability to meet region’s housing needs
- Impact on infrastructure funding, such as transportation, schools, parks and open space
- Impact on ability to attract and retain business and employment
- Any other matters requested by the board of supervisors
The board did not add any additional analysis.
The initiative also aims to change the process in which some land use decisions are made in the unincorporated parts of San Benito County.
Andy Hsia-Coron, an Aromas resident, who is leading the effort with the group Campaign to Protect San Benito, said this initiative differs from a 2022 attempt in that it impacts fewer areas identified in the county’s 2035 General Plan as commercial. The plan, which was adopted in 2015, serves as the blueprint for growth for the next 10 years, or until 2025.
The 2022 slow-growth initiative, which Hsia-Coron also organized, was titled Let Voters Decide and later placed on the ballot as measure Q. It was rejected by 56% of voters.
While Measure Q targeted nine commercial areas known as nodes, the Empower Voters initiative focuses on the four areas designated as commercial regional land use along Hwy 101. These include San Juan Road (Rocks Ranch), Betabel Road, Hwy 129 and Livestock 101. Andy and Mary Hsia-Coron live in close proximity to both San Juan Road and Livestock 101.
The initiative seeks to change these properties’ General Plan designation to agricultural or rangeland.
The current land use designations, which set the guidelines for development and differ from the General Plan’s designations, are:
- Rocks Ranch: agricultural rangeland and agricultural productive (2,613 acres, portions of the ranch were acquired by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz for habitat preservation and management)
- Betabel Road: agriculture rangeland; commercial thoroughfare
- Searle Road/Hwy 129: commercial thoroughfare
- Livestock 101: neighborhood commercial
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