Gilroy’s City Council opened the door Monday for more
development by making exceptions to the city’s zoning code for
projects that build houses in areas already surrounded by
development.
Gilroy’s City Council opened the door Monday for more development by making exceptions to the city’s zoning code for projects that build houses in areas already surrounded by development.
New changes to city zoning law, proposed by Councilman Craig Gartman, provide the council with discretion to approve up to 200 infill projects – or construction in areas that are surrounded by development – each year as long as they are ready to be built within the next three years.
The council voted 4-3 to amend the zoning code, with Mayor Al Pinheiro and council members Cat Tucker and Peter Arellano dissenting. The subject came up as the council discussed the Residential Development Ordinance, which limits the amount of development in the city.
Council members said at their goal-setting session earlier this year that they wanted to make some revisions to that process as it appeared to be preventing development at a time when building projects have grown increasingly rare.
However, several council members said a proposal by city staff that would allow certain exemptions for infill development was too complex.
“We have a good opportunity to get something going here,” Councilman Dion Bracco said. “We need to simplify it, and it needs to work for everybody.”
Staff recommendations included creating a new definition of “infill” projects, allowing a maximum exemption of only 50 units and requiring that 10 percent of an exempted project’s units be under construction within the next 12 months.
David Bischoff, the city’s director of planning and environmental services, said Tuesday that city staff was trying to create a structured process for exempting infill projects from the RDO.
A few council members agreed with staff’s initial recommendations and said the newly approved changes proposed by Gartman went too far.
“Think before you vote on this motion,” Mayor Al Pinheiro cautioned before the council passed the measure. “It behooves us to understand what this means.”
Tucker feared that the revised wording would create a scenario in which developers who were friendly with certain council members would tend to receive exemptions.
However, Gartman said Tuesday that he felt other council members’ concerns were unfounded. The zoning ordinance revisions would help streamline the process for smaller projects that are ready to be built and ultimately make Gilroy more business-friendly, he said. Council members would still have the discretion to approve or deny those projects, he said.
“This brings some product that is sorely missing right now, and that is new homes,” Gartman said.
