Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program Revised Draft EIR

Hollister 2040 General Plan, Climate Action Plan, and Agricultural Lands Preservation Program Revised Draft EIR

Hollister’s existing General Plan was adopted in 2005, with a horizon year of 2023. The City is updating its plan to extend the planning period to 2040. The proposed Hollister 2040 General Plan will build off the current General Plan and provide a framework for land use, transportation, and conservation decisions through the year 2040 and will direct future growth within the EIR Study Area. The General Plan is intended to respond to local and regional housing needs, foster economic growth and local job creation, enhance civic identity and placemaking, and protect sensitive natural resources. The proposed Climate Action Plan will identify strategies and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions generated by existing and future uses in Hollister. The proposed Agricultural Lands Preservation Program will ensure the benefits of agricultural activities are maintained by requiring that activities that convert existing agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses (i.e., urban uses) directly address that loss through a program that funds agricultural conservation easements. Since the 2023 Draft EIR was circulated but before certification, the proposed 2040 General Plan changed some land use designations and the sphere of influence boundary has been further modified from what was proposed in the 2023 Draft EIR. Subsequently, the potential buildout estimates increased from what was evaluated in the 2023 Draft EIR. The proposed changes to the CAP involve adjustments to the emissions estimates. The proposed changes to the ALPP are limited to reducing the rate of land dedication from two acres to one acre of Agricultural Land for each one acre of Agricultural Land to be converted.

Hollister

San Benito

Citywide

California Air Resources Board (ARB), California Department of Conservation (DOC), California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), California Department of Parks and Recreation, California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC), California Department of Transportation, District 5 (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Aeronautics (DOT), California Department of Transportation, Division of Transportation Planning (DOT), California Department of Water Resources (DWR), California Energy Commission, California Fish and Game Commission (CDFGC), California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (OES), California Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC), California Natural Resources Agency, California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Coast Region 3 (RWQCB), California State Lands Commission (SLC), Office of Historic Preservation, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Drinking Water, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Quality, State Water Resources Control Board, Division of Water Rights, California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW)

California Highway Patrol (CHP), California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Central Region 4 (CDFW)

Other (No specific development project; program-level evaluation)

General Plan Update

Aesthetics, Agriculture and Forestry Resources, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Cumulative Effects, Energy, Flood Plain/Flooding, Geology/Soils, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Growth Inducement, Hazards & Hazardous Materials, Hydrology/Water Quality, Land Use/Planning, Mandatory Findings of Significance, Mineral Resources, Noise, Population/Housing, Public Services, Recreation, Schools/Universities, Septic System, Sewer Capacity, Solid Waste, Transportation, Tribal Cultural Resources, Utilities/Service Systems, Vegetation, Wetland/Riparian, Wildfire