There are six housing projects in San Benito County that have been exempted as essential activities under the new shelter in place order.
That’s the number provided by San Benito County Public Information Officer David Westrick in light of debate among officials over whether housing construction should be allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The issue came up this week as a point of debate among some city and county officials.
Two of those six exempted projects are in the county, with two in Hollister and two more in San Juan Bautista, he said.
While many businesses are forced to close during the order, some officials questioned why housing construction would be deemed essential at a time when jurisdictions are trying to do everything they can to reduce the spread of COVID-19, caused by coronavirus. In San Benito County as of Friday, there had been 23 confirmed cases and two deaths from the pandemic.
“We have pretty strict guidelines for exemptions,” Westrick said of the housing rules.
San Benito County released more detailed rules this past week for a shelter in place order that is now extended to May 3. As part of the order, the county listed off a more detailed list of so-called “essential” businesses or activities that are exempt from the order, allowing them to continue.
San Benito County is allowing housing construction to continue as long as a project includes a low-income element, or income-restricted units.
Bay Area counties, meanwhile, also made their orders more restrictive this week while restricting permitted construction to projects that have income-restricted units. Such rules vary across the nation, while New York State has shut down most housing construction with the exception of affordable projects.
In San Benito County, meanwhile, developers wanting to keep building during the order period must submit a safety plan for approval from the Resource Management Agency director. Westrick said he didn’t know of other counties requiring the safety plan.
