A new and interesting housing proposal by former Gilroy City
Councilman Tony Sudol and his associates piques our interest and
wins an early nod. Let’s hear more.
A new and interesting housing proposal by former Gilroy City Councilman Tony Sudol and his associates piques our interest and wins an early nod. Let’s hear more.
Sudol’s proposal for live-work homes near our transportation hub could not only help meet demand, but also achieve other city goals. Since the home construction is not accounted for in the Residential Development Ordinance, it will have to win special approval. How many affordable units would Sudol be willing to build?
Affordable housing continues to be at the top of our city’s issue list. If the new teacher, the city planner or, for that matter, the city editor of the newspaper can’t afford to put down roots here, it marginalizes our community ever so slightly.
The recent news that Gilroy’s median housing prices have passed the half million dollar mark and home values have increased 13 percent puts the problem in perspective. Sure, it’s good for those who already own housing, but the challenge for the school janitor who would like to coach Little League, for example, is absolutely daunting.
Sudol aims to take the warehouse that once housed Indian Motorcycles and Nob Hill Foods headquarters, located on 10th Street, and turn it into housing. Located in an existing developed area, it’s an “in-fill project,” more desirable than extending housing to a new area farther from the city center. It’s a good idea because its location is walking distance to downtown, transit, an array of stores, the movie theaters and the future arts center.
The project proposes to turn the warehouses into “workforce housing.” Workforce housing is “mixed use” housing, providing lofts, studios (live-work space) and retail space. While Gilroy is in need of housing for families with more than 1.2 children, we also need the kind of housing that is affordable to workers who rely on public transit or work downtown, so we’re not opposed to the housing mix proposed.
The city should, however, require the project to be part of the Downtown Specific Plan. Sudol seems to eschew the idea, considering “the plan took two years to design” and planners shouldn’t have to “go back and revisit it.” This stance seems a bit odd, since being part of the Downtown Specific Plan can shave years off the normal approval process and hasten development. Moreover, it assures that the planning of the downtown area will be reviewed in total which allows a broader perspective on getting the right mix for a “region” within the city.
Sudol’s proposed project has a lot of possibilities and deserves consideration. But, it makes perfect sense to look at this project as part of the Downtown Specific Plan because the project will affect downtown in a significant way in terms of development and providing residents that will be involved in most of downtown life.
