GILROY
– Results from a mail-in ballot election is what would determine
whether this formerly agricultural city joins the county’s foremost
land preservation agency.
GILROY – Results from a mail-in ballot election is what would determine whether this formerly agricultural city joins the county’s foremost land preservation agency.
That is one piece of information within a “white paper” city staff wrote concerning Gilroy’s potential entry into the county’s Open Space Authority.
The Open Space Authority’s mission is to preserve, protect and manage scenic, recreational and agricultural lands for the enjoyment of all people. Gilroy is the only eligible city in the county not to join the agency at its inception.
However, with a fledgling farmland preservation policy now on its books, Gilroy and the Open Space Authority are a natural fit. The Open Space Authority would be one of a small handful of agencies that could take care of farmland that gets preserved when farmland elsewhere around Gilroy gets developed.
“I’d characterize (the white paper) as the first step toward looking at the issue (of joining the Open Space Authority),” Gilroy Planning Division Manager Bill Faus said.
The acre-for-acre farmland preservation program was established by Gilroy last month as mitigation for future development that happens on existing farmland.
If City Council wants to join the agency, it will need to get approval from Gilroy property owners. A majority of yes votes means those same owners will be charged $32 a year on each property they own.
Votes would be weighted based on how much property someone owns. Every property owner would be mailed a ballot at least 45 days prior to a scheduled public hearing.
