Dear Editor,
My family had a business downtown from 1911 to the late 1980s.
When the U.S. 101 bypass was built, city officials did not realize
how to keep the downtown vital. Look at it now. It looks like a
slum.
Dear Editor,
My family had a business downtown from 1911 to the late 1980s. When the U.S. 101 bypass was built, city officials did not realize how to keep the downtown vital. Look at it now. It looks like a slum.
The only remaining businesses from before the bypass are the Aloha Club, Porcellas and the Gilroy Bowl. The cowboy on Hall’s, or should I say Ruby’s, is missing his hat, the old Sportsman Bar masonry is painted stark white, the old Victory Market is a big billboard, old Lang’s Shoes is all boarded up, the Rio Nib I am trying figure out what color they painted their exterior, the empty lot next to Piano Outlet (the old Steinmetz pool hall) has been empty since the late 1940s when the market that occupied that area burnt down, and last but not least, the city cannot even keep the clock running at the Old City Hall.
The only nice looking building downtown is the one next to the Old City Hall that Gary Walton remodeled. The downtown has been struggling for years, and now the city wants to close two blocks down for 10 months for “streetscape” and to build the Garlic Festival office on a parking lot at the same time.
The merchants just finished making their last payment on the parking lot a few months ago. When the city finally builds the parking garage downtown, the city should pick up the total tab and not expect the merchants to foot another bill for parking.
While the streets are closed, the city should somehow give the merchants downtown some kind of tax break – maybe work with the county assessor’s office in regards to their property taxes, as well as refunding their portion of the sales tax that goes to the city.
If the city awards the bid to do “streetscape” to the same contractor it did last time, it will probably take 24 months to complete the project. We need a reputable contractor who can get in and get out within the scheduled time frame, not just the lowest bidder. Hope “streetscape” doesn’t turn into “streetscapegate.”
Naomi Steinmetz Murphy, Gilroy
