At least three times per week I have occasion to drive through
downtown Morgan Hill on my way to work.
At least three times per week I have occasion to drive through downtown Morgan Hill on my way to work. I have always enjoyed the downtown area of our neighboring city. It is clean, pedestrian-friendly, and boasts a variety of different shops and restaurants with lovely facades. It is an inviting place to spend a day.
Lately, I have been noticing the rapid progress being made on the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center. I am impressed with everything about the new facility. It is centrally located, beautifully designed and will be a welcome addition to the South Valley area.
I also have occasion to drive through downtown Gilroy many times during the week. Our downtown area is basically blight with a few decent properties thrown in. Pedestrian-friendly? Only if you are downtown to catch the train. Clean? Not by my standards, and I grew up in a big city. An inviting place to spend the day? I guess that depends on what you do for a living. If you are in an “alternative working situation” such as panhandling or prostitution, our downtown may suit you.
If you are the owner of one of the antique stores it might be okay. If you are a shopper looking for an alternative to the outlets or a mall, it’s slim pickings. The new retail space with housing above, which is on Fifth Street looks great – then again, it benefits from not being located on Monterey.
As I drove through downtown Gilroy today, I thought about how poorly our downtown reflects on our city, and how wonderfully downtown Morgan Hill reflects on their town. We better get used to it folks. Our neighboring cities will continue to flourish and beautify and expand, while we flounder.
Of course, all of Gilroy won’t flounder. First Street will become our “downtown by default.” The new shopping center at the corner of First and Santa Teresa will flourish. It is already drawing crowds to the new restaurant and bookstore. If you drive down First Street, you get the urge to stop. If you drive down Monterey, you get the urge to lock your car door.
Over the course of the next few years, I think the chasm between our two downtowns will widen. In addition to the Cultural Center, Morgan Hill will open a new recreation center, library, aquatics center and sports complex within the next two years. Here in Gilroy, we will be busy figuring out just how big we can make the recreation center at the northwest neighborhood park. I wonder who first had the idea to build a recreation facility off Sunrise. I don’t oppose a building, but it does worry me. It doesn’t change the fact that we ought to build an actual community center which should be located somewhere in the heart of Gilroy.
Of course we in Gilroy are at a distinct disadvantage.
Morgan Hill has a Redevelopment Agency, which is why they have the funds to build all these projects. Gilroy has spoken, in the form of our elected officials, and said no to an RDA.
As you read this, our council members are busily looking for financial incentives to revitalize our downtown. In 1999, Morgan Hill moved forward with a bold five-year plan and the funding to make it a reality. By 2004, Morgan Hill will have all their projects completed. In 2002, Gilroy decided to move forward with a plan for downtown, but without an RDA. I guess I will have to reserve judgment on the merits of the Gilroy plan until 2007, but I will keep you updated on our progress from time to time.
I’ll call this my first update: no progress to report.
Denise Baer Apuzzo has lived in Gilroy for 5 years. She is married and is a parent of three children who attend Gilroy public schools. You can reach her at: lu*****@ea*******.net. Her column is published each Thursday in The Dispatch.
