Idle threats suggesting that a huge roller coaster or a
sprawling hotel will wind up butting up against the fence of Eagle
Ridge residents if they don’t approve the annexation of 33 acres to
their development are more than misguided.
Idle threats suggesting that a huge roller coaster or a sprawling hotel will wind up butting up against the fence of Eagle Ridge residents if they don’t approve the annexation of 33 acres to their development are more than misguided.
Regardless of how passionately one believes in the goodness and future of Bonfante Gardens Theme Park, that type of bullying, scare-tactic politics has no place in Gilroy.
Residents of Eagle Ridge are being asked – emphasis on the word asked – by Shapell Homes and Bonfante Gardens to approve adding the land. Bonfante would reap the land-sale profit and be able to pay down its staggering debt. Shapell would build and sell another 100 or so Eagle Ridge homes.
The deal is straightforward, but many residents think there are too many homes and too much traffic in Eagle Ridge now, so they are disinclined to sacrifice their “little piece of heaven” to bailout the long-troubled theme park.
Bullying tactics will only aggravate the residents there. Already there is evidence of that with talk and e-mails about lawsuits.
Part of the problem is the delegate system in place. Under the Eagle Ridge Homeowners Association rules, residents from defined geographical areas, elect delegates who will cast yea or nay votes on the proposal. Understandably, many residents think every homeowner should have a vote.
Shapell should honor that sentiment and conduct an full-scale advisory vote. If it’s clear that residents aren’t supportive of the addition, they should back away from the proposal before it becomes a public relations nightmare.
Moreover, as this debate and discussion continues, the City Council should remove any doubt about what might be built on the property adjacent to Eagle Ridge should the residents vote down the Shapell-Bonfante land deal.
If that requires a zoning change, so be it. At the very least, the Council should make it crystal clear that any commercial proposal for that land would be subject to Council approval.
It’s imperative that the Council consider failure as a possible ultimate destiny for Bonfante Gardens and take whatever actions may be necessary to protect a picturesque part of Gilroy from development proposals that would not be in concert with, for example, the Hecker Pass Specific Plan.
Certainly, no one will ever be able to lay the blame on the steps of City Hall. The City of Gilroy has time and again bent over backwards – sometimes, arguably, to the detriment of the city – to help make the horticulture theme park a success.
The city’s limber spine – demonstrated once again by the unprecedented approval of the transfer of 99 housing permits that was needed as a first step to make the two-way real estate swap happen – has to end at some point.
For now, we can watch for heavy politicking of Eagle Ridge residents, and especially their delegates, to the homeowners association to approve the deal. And, we can watch for Eagle Ridge residents to try to obtain city-funded police patrols of their private streets in the bargain.
However, the controversial land deal is done or undone, Gilroy residents can already rest assured that the city has done everything within reason (and some would argue more) to help make Michael Bonfante’s vision of a horticulture-themed amusement park a success. But we reiterate that the success of the park should not come without full regard for the residents of this community.
