San Benito farmers urge Caltrans to prioritize ag land in Hwy 25 project

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Local farmers and community members continue to voice their frustration about the Hwy 25 Improvement project route adopted in 2016. Among the concerns raised at two Jan. 28 Caltrans meetings was the loss of prime agricultural land. Some attendees said the route essentially kills many businesses as large portions of orchards are removed.

After attending a pair of two-hour sessions, farmer Nicole Rajkovich of Fairhaven Orchards said she was “completely frustrated” with the situation.

“I don’t think anything has been addressed and I don’t think we have any say or opinion in the matter,” she said.

She was not alone. More than 60 community members attended at least one of the two meetings held in Hollister, which included a presentation about the project and a question-and-answer session. Attendees were directed to tables with maps of the route showing the potential footprint on affected properties and invited to ask questions of Caltrans representatives. 

While analyzing the maps, several attendees asked whether changes in the area, such as new housing developments, warranted an updated study by the state. Others said the preliminary design would keep farm equipment from easily moving between fields.

Landowner and businessman Stan Pura said farmers understood that the highway project was needed to address safety concerns and accommodate the growing population, but they wanted better planning. He specifically identified the portion between San Felipe Road and the Hwy 156 intersection as an example of Caltrans being “irresponsible.” 

“We’re doing something for the rest of time,” Pura said. “We’ve taken enough prime farmland. Look at what we’ve done in Santa Clara Valley in the last 150 years.”

He said it didn’t matter if the project involved relocating more utility lines or if the road was two miles longer, as long as it preserved farmland.

“Look down the road,” he said. “What the hell is it going to look like in another 100 years?”

He walked out of the room after finishing his statement.

The proposed section between San Felipe Road and the Hwy 25/156 intersection cuts through the Fairhaven Orchards, which grows cherries, walnuts and apricots. Marie Hoffman with Fairhaven Orchards said the new highway would affect their walnut orchard and “completely wipe out” the apricots. Without the apricots, she added, Fairhaven would not be fiscally viable. She said the three crops work because they offset each other if one has a bad season.

Rajkovich, Hoffman’s sister, agreed.

“If we don’t have an apricot orchard to continue on, it doesn’t make sense to keep that portion of the business going,” she said.

Fairhaven Orchards will celebrate its 50th anniversary this summer. 

Patrick Mason of Caltrans spoke about the right-of-way acquisition process. He said the state’s appraiser meets with impacted property owners and offers the market value of a property. He said the appraisal factors in the value of mature orchards and residential units. In addition, he noted, Caltrans does an analysis of the remaining property for damages.

“If other parts of your property are rendered less valuable than it was before, then there also could be additional compensation for damages in that scenario,” he said.

Mason added that there are other state programs which provide compensation for people being relocated from rental properties, reimbursement up to $5,000 for a second appraisal, and compensation for relocating a business.

However, several farmers said Caltrans was not considering the loss of income for a business in their appraisal.

As an example, Hoffman said if they have to buy land somewhere else to replace the land they lost, it would take up to six years for trees to reach maturity and start producing fruit. 

She said in those years, farmers invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in nurturing the orchards. 

“That’s all costs that we’re going to have as a result of an orchard being taken out,” she said. 

Mason said that is part of the negotiations with Caltrans and that the concept of the state’s offer is that farmers could use that money to buy a similar orchard. 

Caltrans said it would provide the presentation and other information to all attendees in an email. Representatives told BenitoLink the agency could not provide a copy of the detailed map because of its size and that it could not be put on the project’s website because it is not  compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates that graphics be accessible to visually impaired website visitors. Other representatives noted that the map was preliminary.

Hwy 25 route

Caltrans, the Council of San Benito County Governments and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority are proposing the eventual replacement of 11.2 miles of the existing State Route 25 two-lane highway with a four-lane expressway between Hollister and the Hwy 25/101 interchange. 

In 2018, San Benito County voters approved Measure G, a 1%, 30-year sales tax to fund a portion of the project. The tax is expected to raise $242 million for Hwy 25 and $243 million for local roads and mobility services in that time period. 

The objectives of the project are to reduce commutes and traffic.

The transportation agencies are considering six alternatives for the project as the environmental study process begins. 

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