Neighbors living near the old Las Animas School site who were upset about 72 homes going up in their backyard might have to deal with 99, now that the school board has decided to postpone presenting its proposal to the city council so it can go back and rethink the plans.
The 10-acre swath of land situated at 8450 Wren Avenue in North Gilroy is currently owned by the Gilroy Unified School District and zoned for a public facility. Looking to sell the land at its maximum value, the district is acting as developer, jumping through the necessary hoops to have the land rezoned to a medium density residential development.
The proposal for a 72-home subdivision was presented to the school board this evening and was scheduled to go before the city council at Monday night's meeting. However, board members conceded that it would be a better idea to hold onto the proposal for now, and possibly revise it to maximize the district's profit by adding extra homes to the plan. The district is allowed to build 99 homes but decided to go with only 72 under the current plan, after community feedback convinced them to scale back the project.
"Our goal is to sell at the maximum value to fund facilities," Superintendent Deborah Flores said. "We acted like a developer in preparing the property for rezoning."
The proposal to rezone the land for a 72-unit development narrowly passed the planning commission with a four to three vote.
The map shows residences occupying lots that vary in size from 2,240 to 10,070 square feet, with a density of 7.22 homes per acre. The development will be accessible from Wren Avenue. Surrounded by primarily low-density neighborhoods, the residences lining the subdivision's exterior are mainly single-family homes on larger lots set back from the street. At the development's center are two-story townhomes and a neighborhood park.
Sara Suddes Sara Suddes covers education for the Gilroy Dispatch. Reach her at ssuddes@gilroydispatch.com or call (408) 847-7158.
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Potential development irks Village Green residents
