Mayor Marie Blankley: State of the City 2023

Hello Gilroy! I hope this information entices you to attend the 2023 State of the City address on April 1. There’s a lot going on and much to be proud of. I am continually honored to follow Roberta Hughan (Gilroy Mayor 1984-1992) as the second woman to be mayor of Gilroy since 1870! I hope you’re as pleased as I am with what we’ve accomplished since the pandemic and with the many, many projects in the works. See for yourselves!

Economic and Commercial Development

• A two-ice rink facility is coming to the Gilroy Sports Park. The San Jose Sharks organization will operate the facility that will be a magnet for future growth of our Sports Park.

• The City is investing $4 million to convert vehicular alleys downtown into pedestrian pathways for seating, strolling, dining and shopping. These changes will stretch from Fourth Street to Seventh Street on Gourmet Alley, and from Lewis Street to Seventh Street on Railroad Alley.

• The new Gourmet Parking Lot is now complete! This multi-purpose parking lot provides space downtown to host events such as farmers markets and Art & Wine festivals. Together with creating pedestrian pathways, the City will have invested $6.5 million in infrastructure improvements in our downtown since the pandemic.

• A new commercial center, Plaza Allium, at 10th and Chestnut will include a five-story, 112-room hotel, three restaurants with drive-thru (including Chick-Fil-A), a convenience store, a gas station, a carwash, and long-awaited roadway improvements/repairs at 10th Street and Chestnut.

• Amazon Web Services will construct a data center of more than 200,000 square feet on Camino Arroyo south of the Outlets.

• The City has 13 industrial or warehouse development applications that are in various stages for development near Highway 152 east of 101. These developments bring the welcome addition of jobs to Gilroy.

Street Maintenance, Transportation Services, and Infrastructure

• In our last two-year budget cycle, the Gilroy City Council approved an additional $2 million in annual funding toward the maintenance of city streets. This action resulted in a five-year street maintenance plan to prevent the further decline of pavement conditions where possible. In the current two-year budget cycle, I’m hoping for City Council support of another two years of this additional funding.

• The 2023 RAISE grant application for the 10th Street Bridge ($21 million) has been submitted.

• Valley Water’s recycled water pipeline project along Luchessa Avenue will provide recycled water to the systems installed in the Glen Loma Development. Once completed, Luchessa Avenue will see significant pavement improvements that will put an end to the current disruption faced daily by our residents and businesses in that vicinity.

Public Safety

• The Community Engagement Team (Quality of Life Officers and the School Resource Officers) continue to respond to community concerns. Their established relationships with local non-profit organizations, and other service providers, have netted many local success stories.

• Records Management and Flock Camera Systems (license plate readers) have been updated to provide better efficiency with operational workload.

• Progress with the temporary fire station at 10th and DeAnza will proceed as soon as PG&E provides necessary service. Building the permanent station at Miller Avenue and West Luchessa Avenue will commence when funding is triggered by the Glen Loma Development.

Housing

The details provided in the February Spotlight with the Mayor newsletter says it all. For access to all City news and monthly Spotlights, subscribe to our E-mail Express at CityofGilroy.org or contact the city clerk at 408.846.0204.

Community Center 

Over the last year, much discussion has occurred concerning the addition of a Community Center which is greatly needed to address the needs of Gilroyans of all ages. As part of the upcoming budget cycle, the City will consider providing funding to conduct initial studies concerning facility opportunities at the Gilroy Civic Center, defined as the three-block area from Church Street to Dowdy Street between Sixth and Seventh streets.

We welcome Digital NEST and SV Creates to Gilroy. Digital NEST helps youth explore and prepare for career paths in technology. SV Creates aims to strengthen the arts throughout Santa Clara County. Thank you to both for choosing Gilroy! And thank you to SV Symphony and to Poppy Jasper International Film Festival for continuing to share artistic beauty with Gilroy.

I close this year’s State of the City with the sentiments of unity and togetherness. Gilroy is a community of heart, heart that drives me every day to do the best that I can for the community I love. Unity comes when we recognize heart, the sincere and genuine efforts put forth by so many in Gilroy to solve problems and help others with no expectation of recognition or compensation. Heart brings us together, builds trust in one another, and contributes to real and effective solutions that we can all support and feel proud of. I hope that in the coming year more and more Gilroyans feel the heart that has kept me in Gilroy since birth, unites us in community and moves us forward together.                          

We are Gilroy, together.

Marie Blankley is the mayor of Gilroy.