Residents are invited to share their input and seek information at a series of upcoming workshops on the City of Gilroy’s Civic Center Mater Plan project.
The city’s 14-acre civic center campus—located between Sixth and Seventh streets—consists of Gilroy’s chief government and community facilities including City Hall, the police station, the Gilroy Library, Wheeler Center and the senior center.
The city owns all the property—including parking lots associated with each facility—within the Civic Center except for three private homes on Dowdy Street.
The city is developing a new master plan for the properties “to better serve the growing community, address increasing demands, improve underutilized spaces and update aging facilities,” city staff said.
Those improvements could include a wide variety of new community and recreational uses, and residents are encouraged to share their ideas.
Although some of the Civic Center buildings are relatively new and modernized, others are aging and underused while their service demand grows, according to city staff. A key part of the city’s upcoming master plan is a strategy to pay for the redevelopment of the Civic Center.
In November, the city council approved a contract for about $750,000 with ELS Architecture Urban Design for consultant services to start the Civic Center Master Plan process.
“The Civic Center Master Plan update will inventory and analyze existing Civic Center facilities and open spaces and their uses,” says a city staff report. “It will identify and compile Civic Center needs and desires based on City Council, staff, and community input.”
The consultants will be tasked with presenting at least three alternative master plan options with design concepts and identify possible funding sources. The funding strategy includes a general obligation bond measure to appear on a future ballot, which would finance the Civic Center redevelopment, city staff said.
“The consultant will gather, organize and analyze data and inputs to formulate a vision of the Civic Center’s character and role in the community and develop recommendations of Civic Center programming and design alternatives for the council’s consideration,” the staff report added.
A crucial part of the process of developing the master plan, Gilroy City Council member Zach Hilton said, is community input. The upcoming workshops on March 4, April 8 and May 20 are the perfect opportunity for residents of all ages to state their preferences and desires for the use of the community’s Civic Center property, Hilton said.
“Gilroy has a once in a generation opportunity to shape what they want to experience in their Civic Center,” Hilton said. “Gilroy deserves this opportunity to transform the Civic Center outdoor space, build a state of the art Community Center for all ages, build a state of the art City Hall, and we need input from all ages.”
Specifically, Hilton noted that Gilroy is in need of a “central location” for youth services; gathering spaces for large groups or events; and a year-round space to offer recreation and community events.
Hilton added that the 1960s-era City Hall building is in need of modernization.
“We need a (City Hall) space (where) our city staff can thrive in their workspace and a place (where) our elected officials and city commissions can host their meetings and public events in a state of the art Council Chambers,” Hilton said. “Our residents and customers deserve a state of the art experience when they come into City Hall for permits, plans, pay a bill, or interact with staff and elected officials.”
Hilton encouraged residents to “think big” in their input for future Civic Center recreation, suggesting examples for new uses including a public pool, pickleball courts, a bicycle pump track, computer labs, outdoor water features and spaces to hold outdoor and indoor events of various sizes.
Civic Center Master Plan workshops
• March 4, Open House and Gallery Information Walk, 9am and 6pm at Wheeler Center, 270 West Sixth Street.
• April 8, Alternative Concepts and Visioning Sessions, 9am and 6pm, Wheeler Center, 270 West Sixth Street.
• May 20, Preferred Concept and Visioning Sessions, 9am and 6pm, Wheeler Center, 270 West Sixth Street.
