GILROY
– Results from a mail-in ballot election will determine whether
this formerly-agricultural city joins the county’s foremost land
preservation agency.
GILROY – Results from a mail-in ballot election will determine whether this formerly-agricultural city joins the county’s foremost land preservation agency.
That is one piece of information within a letter city staff wrote concerning Gilroy’s potential entry into the county’s Open Space Authority.
The Open Space Authority’s mission is to preserve, protect and manage scenic, recreational and agricultural lands for the enjoyment of all people.
Gilroy is the only eligible city in the county that did not join the agency at its inception.
However, with a fledgeling farmland preservation policy now on its books, Gilroy and the Open Space Authority are a natural fit.
The Open Space Authority would be one of a small handful of agencies that could take care of farmland that is preserved when farmland elsewhere around Gilroy is developed.
The acre-for-acre farmland preservation program was established by the Gilroy City Council last month as mitigation for future development that takes place on existing farmland.
If Council wants to join the agency, it will need to get approval from Gilroy property owners.
A yes votes means those owners will be assessed $32 a year on each parcel they own.
Votes would be weighted based on how much property someone owns.
Every property owner would be mailed a ballot at least 45 days prior to a scheduled public hearing.
Morgan Hill already belongs to the Open Space Authority and is represented by Alex Kennett, an elected official who would also represent Gilroy.
