City Council will soon be mulling two incentives proposals for
businesses. The first is easier to opine about, because we know a
lot more details.
City Council will soon be mulling two incentives proposals for businesses. The first is easier to opine about, because we know a lot more details.
In order to increase the number of businesses eligible for downtown development fee breaks, Gilroy City Council members are giving serious consideration to expanding the zone considered “downtown.” The area currently includes just businesses on Monterey Street from First to Tenth streets. The proposal before council is to push the downtown district borders to include Eigleberry to the west and Railroad to the east. The north/south boundaries of First and Tenth streets would remain the same under the proposal.
Here’s hoping council approves the change that would expand the city’s downtown district and give business owners in the entire downtown region – that most people already consider “downtown” – those important development fee breaks. There are only two vacant properties within the current downtown district, according to Economic Development Director and Downtown Specific Plan Task Force member Bill Lindsteadt, but 12 properties sit empty within the proposed expanded downtown district.
Council approved the original development at the behest of the task force, which did not realize that businesses on streets between Eigleberry and Railroad streets and between First and Tenth streets would not be included.
“We (the task force) dropped the ball on that one, and now we’re hoping Council can get that back on track,” Lindsteadt said.
We’re hoping so, too. We’ve said it before, but it’s been a while, so we’ll say it again: A thriving, vital downtown is key to our city’s spirit and identity. We need to use every tool available to us to accomplish an enhanced character and atmosphere for Gilroy’s city center.
Lindsteadt is being a bit coy about the second incentive proposal. He won’t divulge details until later this month, but says his idea will please two groups often thought of as occupying opposite ends of the political spectrum: industrial business owners and living wage advocates.
Before we can endorse the proposal, we’ll have to see the details that Lindsteadt is promising to reveal at City Council’s retreat in a few weeks. The idea is intriguing, and we’re glad to see effort and creativity expended toward the goal of luring good-paying jobs to Gilroy.
It’s a great omen to see continued focus on improving Gilroy’s business climate and its downtown – the efforts bode well for Gilroy’s economic future.
