It’s unfortunate that Westfield will not elaborate on the new
plan
Westfield Inc. has pulled the plug on the controversial mega-mall project proposed for a portion of the equally controversial 660 acres just outside the city limits.
Well, we guess that solves the problem surrounding changing the zoning of the property and crafting a master plan for the 660 acres, originally set aside in Gilroy’s General Plan for campus industrial use. Or does it?
The “660” as it’s known is where the high-tech or the bio-tech firms are supposed to locate, so putting an outdoor mega-mall on part of the property caused the community controversy that would have likely spilled over into the Local Agency Formation Commission hearings on any proposal to annex the land into the city limits.
That pending LAFCO fight, plus the economic downtown may be what caused Westfield to pull back. We’re not sure because mum’s the word from the international company, purveyors of Valley Fair and Oakridge shopping centers in San Jose. That’s too bad. Gilroyans have generally supported the concept and they deserve to know what’s in the planning future. But that will come in short order.
Westfield’s new proposal, though undefined, has the mall going on 70 acres inside the city limits on land that would include the abandoned and blighted old Wal-Mart building and, perhaps, the Gilroy Unified School District Offices.
Those are both positive aspects of the new deal. A solution for the crummy old Wal-Mart property would be a godsend as would some serious money into the facilities fund for GUSD. As an added bonus, GUSD would move its central office location, which is awful, to a new spot west of the freeway. That would be a godsend, too.
The big concern, however, is this: If this turns into a phased project – a scenario is that is highly likely – how is the mall going to fit in with the rest of the 660? That concern is tempered by the law of economic reality: the market will ultimately determine what can and will be built on the 660. Remember, the current outlet mall was originally supposed to be a tech park, too.
As this story and process unfolds, the Council should keep in mind both economic reality and master planning. The organizational and leadership art in this situation will be to strike a balance between the two.
Meanwhile, before passing further judgment we will await Westfield’s new plan in full detail. The outdoor, downtownesque mall with significant anchor tenants like Nordstrom’s and Macy’s held considerable appeal. Now, that the whole plan is in flux, it’s anybody’s guess what will emerge. But that won’t last long.
