Gilroy
– The plan to develop scenic Hecker Pass has reached its final
stage after four years and thousands of hours of study. City
officials, however, are in no hurry to rush approval of the
guidelines and will likely approach the plan in a careful and
deliberate manner during a special meeting on Monda
y.
Gilroy – The plan to develop scenic Hecker Pass has reached its final stage after four years and thousands of hours of study. City officials, however, are in no hurry to rush approval of the guidelines and will likely approach the plan in a careful and deliberate manner during a special meeting on Monday.
After spending last month scrutinizing the 100-plus pages contained in the Hecker Pass Specific Plan, city planning commissioners chose to spend a final hour reviewing, point by point, nearly a dozen final changes before voting 6-1 for approval. Commissioner Cat Tucker cast the only opposing vote after repeating her objection to the maximum allowable building size in areas set aside for agri-tourism.
“It’s a very important long-range document and the Planning Commission needed to go through it with a fine-toothed comb,” said City Planner Melissa Durkin. “This is going to regulate how that whole Hecker Pass corridor is developed.”
Joel Goldsmith, a landowner who chaired the advisory committee that developed the plan, said: “Overall we’re pretty happy with the actions taken by the Planning Commission. They made a lot of what I would consider minor changes to it. They were looking at a lot of very fine details. We’re more concerned about the overall plan and the vision we have for the area.”
That vision hinges on preserving several hundred acres directly bordering the scenic passage as farmland and open space, while allowing clustered development in areas set back from the road.
Mayor Al Pinheiro shares that goal, but he may differ with landowners on the nuances of accomplishing it.
Pinheiro, who was unavailable for comment, has in the past expressed reservations about the number of homes planned. The plans approved Thursday provide for the eventual development of 530 homes.
Goldsmith said concerns emerged partly because it is more than four times the number of homes that could have been developed under county zoning, before Gilroy annexed the Hecker Pass area as part of the Bonfante Gardens acquisition.
But Goldsmith argued that the quantity of homes is the least important factor.
“One of the main reasons for that number is we want to have the ability to have a wide range of housing,” he said. “Any reduction we do in the number of units – unless it’s really dramatic – don’t believe it’s going to have much of an impact on the view corridors or open space. We’re afraid a minor reduction is simply going to make the remaining units more expensive without creating offsetting benefits.”
He hopes to convince councilmen of that position Monday, when they meet to review and possibly vote on final approval.
Although the landowners already have received allotments to build 427 homes, they cannot move forward with the permitting process until the council signs off on the plan. As part of its deliberations, the council can reduce the number of homes allowed.
If approved in its current form, groundbreaking could begin as early as 2007 on up to 71 homes. Under the allotment, the same number of homes can be developed each year until 2012, when owners can build 72 houses.
The plan would allow Goldsmith to develop a garden center on his property, as well as dozens of homes.
“There are no plans at this point [for a garden center], but we want to maintain the ability to do that,” Goldsmith said. With respect to housing, Goldsmith said, “We’ve been approached by developers but nothing’s been determined about what we’re going to do.”
Jim Hoey, another landowner within the Hecker plan area, has said he has long-term plans for an orchard with some retail space.
Tucker, the only dissenting commissioner, objected to allowing buildings to cover 30 percent of the area set aside for agri-tourism – or areas designated for agricultural-related businesses – such as bed and breakfast inns and “mom and pop”-style delicatessens and groceries. She suggested restricting the figure to 10 percent lot coverage, arguing the higher percentage would allow buildings to cover about 10 acres of the agri-tourism areas
Goldsmith said, however, that Tucker based her estimates on figures associated with previous county zoning, which allowed buildings to cover 10 percent of the entire Hecker Pass area – not just the smaller portions set aside for agri-tourism.
“We’ve drastically limited the areas where [agri-tourism] is allowed, and then we’re saying 30 percent of that acreage,” Goldsmith said. “I would venture to guess that that’s significantly less than the original.”
That issue may number among the questions the council examines Monday night. City Planner Durkin pointed to one overarching theme in particular: “How are we going to preserve that agricultural land permanently and make sure that it doesn’t succumb to development pressure? We all want to move on and get the project approved, but we want to make sure everything’s done correctly.”
What:
City Council Special Meeting to review Hecker Pass Specific Plan
When:
Nov. 8 at 6pm
Where:
City Council Chambers, 7351 Rosanna St.
