The City of Gilroy extended the deadline for developers to submit their proposal for a recreational-based project along Hecker Pass Highway.
The deadline, previously set for Jan. 19, is now Feb. 12.
City Administrator Jimmy Forbis said officials adjusted the deadline because of the timing over the holidays. He added that the city has not yet gotten an indication of what responses it may receive, but said it would likely know more just before the submission deadline.
It received some early interest on Dec. 7 during a virtual meeting to introduce the project to developers. In attendance were representatives from BKF Engineers, SERA Architects, Select Contracts and Walltopia Adventure USA.
The city has been seeking proposals for the “Hecker Pass Highway Tourism and Recreation Development Opportunity” since Nov. 16.
In September, the Gilroy City Council declared Gilroy as a recreation destination following the recent formation of the Gilroy Economic Development Partnership.
The 20-page RFP document describes the 536-acre property on Hecker Pass Highway as well as the city’s goals to “establish Gilroy as the top family-oriented outdoor recreation destination in the San Francisco Bay Area and nearby Central Coast.”
Gilroy Gardens, operated and managed by Ohio-based Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, runs the theme park on roughly 50 acres of the site. About 100 acres of land the city describes as “unused or underutilized space” is located at the base of the hillside property.
The remainder of the property is a hillside, which city officials envision will be used for such activities as downhill biking, horseback riding, hiking, ziplining, or other adventure activities.
