Gilroy
– A stretch of cedars lining west Gilroy’s rural gateway deserve
recognition on a federal list of historic places, a state
commission decided Thursday.
Gilroy – A stretch of cedars lining west Gilroy’s rural gateway deserve recognition on a federal list of historic places, a state commission decided Thursday.
The California State Historical Resources Commission voted unanimously to recommend that 115 Deodar cedars and 20 oak cedars along Hecker Pass Highway be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The trees lining the 1.39-mile stretch, between Santa Teresa Boulevard and Uvas Creek, were planted on National Arbor Days in 1930 and 1931.
Two dozen of the trees were saved last year following months of debate on plans to widen the scenic highway to accommodate hundreds of new homes. Four trees remain on the chopping block to make way for a future intersection facing Gilroy Golf Course.
In a letter to the Dispatch this week, resident C.L. Taylor wrote that “the message that needs to be sent to the City Council and to anyone looking to do any new or expanded development is that these trees need to be protected and kept safe. All of them. Period.”
A listing on the National Register does not prevent demolition. Rather, it triggers an extra layer of review on development projects to determine their impact on the trees as an historical resource. In some cases, a regulatory review can lead to alternative project designs or “mitigations” such as planting new trees.
The cedar trees were nominated for inclusion on the National Register by the Gilroy Historical Society, based in large part on historical research compiled by the California Department of Transportation. The agency learned that local Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, members of the American Legion Auxiliary and Rotary Club, and others planted the first of the cedars March 7, 1930. On that Arbor Day, roughly 25,000 trees were planted across California, the state’s contribution to a nationwide movement to beautify highways as driving emerged as an American pastime.
“We at the council have tried and will continue to try and save as many trees as we can, whether they’re on the National Register or not,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said. “The point is, it’s a beautiful area of Gilroy and the more trees we can save, the better it is for all of us.”
The state historical commission staff will forward the recommendation in coming weeks to the Keeper of the National Register, a position within the National Park Service. The latter agency typically requires 45 days of review time before issuing a final decision.
