The Gavilan College Board of Trustees voted to acquire land for
the school’s new satellite campus in San Benito County.
By Alice Joy Staff Writer
Hollister – The Gavilan College Board of Trustees voted to acquire land for the school’s new satellite campus in San Benito County.
Despite strong objections from some in the community, the board Tuesday night chose to move forward on the purchase of a campus site on the northeast corner of Fairview Road and Airline Highway.
The board voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, which drew criticism from numerous members of the community who attended the meeting.
“I’m very disappointed,” San Juan Bautista resident Ruben Lopez said. “Why hold a meeting if you’re not going to listen to people?”
Lopez was one of more than a dozen community members who spoke against the selected property. The meeting drew more than 50 people.
Several people spoke out of concern for the effect the site – which is located near Ridgemark Golf Course – would have on Hollister’s traffic.
“By the site, there’s a dangerous mix of slow-moving farm equipment and fast-moving commuters. Adding students makes it even more dangerous,” said San Benito County Supervisor Pat Loe, who said she believes it is important to address the traffic issue before moving forward on the purchase. This idea was echoed by several other community members.
Many other individuals expressed concern over the distance from downtown.
“I believe in concentric growth, so that you can utilize walking and mass transit,” Hollister resident Gordon Machado said. “Gavilan College will be in the very northeast of Hollister. It just seems that there are better locations to the south and west of town.”
The campus site was selected by administrators from a group of 16 proposed properties in the greater Hollister area. The site was primarily chosen for its size – which met the minimum of 80 acres, and its proximity to
“A lot of it was a process of elimination,” Gavilan College President Steve Kinsella said. “This really looks like a good site for us, and it seems to be the most viable.”
Kinsella said the the site is where growth is foreseen.
Now that the board has approved the purchase, it will enter into a due diligence period where it evaluates the property in terms of the habitat, seismic factors, water and sewer capabilities and several other factors.
During the next six months, the board can break the contract with Fairview Corners Dividend Home Property, which is selling the land.
The cost of the property is $8 million – $100,000 per acre for the 80-acre lot. This is almost double the cost of the initially proposed site, located near the Hollister Municipal Airport. The purchase of the site will be funded through Measure E funds, which were approved in March 2004.
