Gilroy
– City Council has approved a ban on new car lots, dance halls,
liquor stores and a host of other businesses in downtown Gilroy as
part of the city’s efforts to inject new life into the area.
Gilroy – City Council has approved a ban on new car lots, dance halls, liquor stores and a host of other businesses in downtown Gilroy as part of the city’s efforts to inject new life into the area.
The council voted earlier this month to make permanent a temporary moratorium on certain types of businesses along the Monterey Street corridor between First and Tenth streets. The moratorium, which does not apply to existing businesses, was set to expire June 5.
“My vision is not to have bars, dance halls, those kinds of things,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said. “There’s a place for those things, but it’s certainly not in downtown where we’re trying to revitalize.”
The city’s main drag is now home to a motley crew of businesses that will not have to worry about competitors sprouting up as a result of the ban. The list of businesses includes bars such as the Aloha Club and Oakwood Lounge, the Rio Nilo night club and Joint Venture – a combination tattoo parlor and “head” shop that sells tobacco-smoking devices.
The ban allows such services as “ancillary,” or secondary, uses within a store, according to City Planner Gregg Polubinsky. A jewelry store, for instance, could offer piercing services, although a store dedicated to such a use is not allowed. City officials decided to allow beer and wine tasting on a case-by-case basis, as well as indoor car sales along Monterey Street.
The biggest area for potential change will come from the prohibition against automotive-related uses, including repair shops and car lots. Currently, more than a dozen such businesses crowd the outer edge of the city’s historic corridor.
Elwood Quesada, who has operated a car lot on the corner of Third and Monterey Streets for 16 years ago, has seen the effect of the outlets and big box stores on the downtown area. He looked forward to the ban as an essential step in restoring Monterey Street.
“This used to be a busy place, but a lot of stores went out of businesses,” Quesada said. “We need to do something because it’s getting a little bit empty.”
The city’s Downtown Specific Plan Task Force began work in 2003 on detailed guidelines to rejuvenate the downtown area. The construction projects getting under way along Monterey Street are the first visible signs of the group’s efforts, which included convincing city officials to loosen development restrictions and waive fees normally associated with construction to encourage new development in the area.
The city instituted the temporary moratorium when the task force first came together in June 2003.
“We were afraid that in the several years we designed the specific plan, these incompatible uses would come in,” said James Suner, a local developer and task force member. “We’ve created new districts where those uses will be welcomed.”
The task force has redirected tattoo parlors and liquor stores, for instance, to the Cannery District – an area east of Monterey Street that will one day include hundreds of apartments and dozens of retail stores. Automotive uses, including car lots and repair shops, have been shifted to the north of First Street and south of Tenth Street as part of the specific plan.
While existing businesses on the banned list are allowed to continue operating, Suner acknowledged that many stores could get squeezed out as the area turns over.
“Certainly, as new buildings go up, those buildings will command higher rents,” he said. “That’s the market system.”
Banned!
• Tattoo parlors
• Body piercing studios
• Bars that do not offer meals
• Dance halls that do not offer meals
• Auto repair shops
• Auto parts stores
• Car lots
• Liquor stores
