87 homes on Hecker Pass and Glen Loma’s 71 in the Northwest Quad
on the list
Gilroy – Development proposals for 229 new homes will cram the agenda for city council’s last meeting of the year.
Of the four development proposals, the two biggest projects account for more than half of the new homes, and both are headed for Gilroy’s western reaches.
City leaders on Monday will review the first major Hecker Pass development proposal, an 87-home project proposed by De Nova Homes, in Pleasanton. The project is slated for 62 acres south of Hecker Pass, just east of Bonfante Gardens.
Officials have already approved broad plans for the creation of 400-plus homes along Gilroy’s scenic western gateway, and a dozen landowners are now gearing up to push forward with detailed designs for various housing developments on the area’s farmland and hillsides.
“All of a sudden it seems like a lot of development, but this is stuff we’ve been working on for many years,” Mayor Al Pinheiro said, referring to five years of planning for Hecker Pass development. “We’ve asked landowners to look at growth from a broader perspective, instead of piece-mealing it like in northwest Gilroy, and this is the product of their work.”
A plan for new roads, parks and other infrastructure along Hecker Pass will also go before council Monday night, as well as a development agreement that would allow landowners to fast-track construction.
The De Nova project heralds a new phase of development in western Gilroy, while another large project closes the book on growth toward the city’s northwestern foothills. Representatives for Glen Loma Corporation will ask council for permission to build 71 homes on as many acres on the west side of Rancho Hills Drive. The project is the final phase of a development that began 20 years ago and brought more than 500 homes to northwest Gilroy.
In addition to the west Gilroy projects, council will review a 53-unit affordable housing proposal for 9130 and 9160 Kern Avenue in north Gilroy, and an 18-unit development off Ronan Avenue. The Kern Avenue project is slated for 3.7 acres and the Ronan Avenue project would lie on 4.4 acres.
Developers behind both projects are looking to sidestep the competition for building permits at the heart of Gilroy’s growth control. The city grants “exemptions” from the competition for affordable housing and small projects of up to 18 units.
Serdar Tumgoren, Senior Staff Writer, covers City Hall for The Dispatch. Reach him at 847-7109 or st*******@************ch.com.
