GILROY – Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, which owns California’s Great America amusement park in Santa Clara and manages Gilroy Gardens, will not be selling Great America to a San Francisco real estate company as announced in September.
JMA Ventures LLC opted not to move forward on the $70 million deal, while Cedar Fair announced on its website that it has reached a deal with the San Francisco 49ers related to the construction of a new stadium and parking facilities adjacent Great America.
What does that mean for Gilroy Gardens, which was prepping for minor changes that included no staff reductions under the proposed new management?
“I guess the best phrase is business as usual,” laughed Gilroy Gardens general manager Barb Granter. “Nothing has actually changed.”
Gilroy Gardens is owned by the City of Gilroy and is a 501(c)3 organization run by a local volunteer board of directors. The sale of Great America to JMA would not have affected the city’s ownership of Gilroy Gardens, the park’s nonprofit status, nor the board of directors’ role, according to the park.
“We have been manage by Cedar Fair, and we will continue to be managed by Cedar Fair,” Granter said, “Nothing did change and nothing will change.”
Gilroy Gardens and Great America often share promotional efforts, including a single pass that allows visitors to access to both parks. The two locations have shared a management agreement for the past eight years, according to Gilroy Gardens.
