City Council will be holding a special meeting/study session Monday night to discuss planned unit development regulations and potential amendments to existing sign ordinances:
According to Gilroy Planning Manager Sue Martin, 91 percent of the residential developments City Council has approved since 2012 have been considered as planned unit developments, which she says can skirt the City’s minimum standards and provide minimal benefit to the community.
“Items that are truly beneficial to the overall community – rather than a single user or property owner – should be encouraged and sought after as community benefit items,” Martin said, noting that centrally located neighborhood parks are more beneficial than solar panels on individual homes, for example.
“City Council may want to consider if the (planned unit development) process is appropriate for smaller project sites or not,” Martin added. “Presumably, larger sites have more capability to provide appropriate community benefits.”
City Council will discuss community benefits Gilroy expects from developers of residential housing projects, limitations on the planned unit development process and provide direction to City staff on any potential amendments or revisions to development standards following the discussion.
Also on the agenda: City staff will present the Sign Ordinance Task Force’s recommended changes to existing law, including prohibiting handheld signs on public property or on any property not owned or leased by the company being advertised.
According to Community Development Director Kristi Abrams, the task force noted that handheld signs have proliferated across Gilroy. The task force feels that “a business should use handheld signs on-site only,” according to Abrams.
Handheld signs are not specifically restricted or regulated in Morgan Hill, Los Gatos, Sunnyvale, San Jose and other nearby cities.
The special City Council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, in Council chambers of Gilroy City Hall, located at 7351 Rosanna St.
