49.1 F
Gilroy
April 8, 2025
merrill gardens, senior living in gilroy california

On the Table: A Gun Shop and Plaza Downtown?

A gun shop and an outdoor plaza might bring some big changes downtown. The firearms shop is considering moving to the Pinnacle building on Monterey Road, the first storefront for firearms since Walmart stopped carrying them. Right now there are eight dealers with permits to sell weapons out of their homes and one of them has appeared before city staff to see what would be needed to rent the downtown space.“If it’s done right, fine,” said Mayor Perry Woodward. “It’s just another retail use. We’re still a rural community in many ways and fishing and hunting are popular here. If you come back and tell me it’s all assault rifles, I might have a different point of view. If it’s done responsibly and within in the law, it serves a need.”Woodward got to talk about his real dream for downtown Monday for the first time, because he sold a property he owned there that kept him from voting on downtown issues. He wants to knock down the former billiards hall and put a public plaza there with trees, a stage and benches. It would be a place for the community to come together for activities, after which they would shop in businesses catering to them.“I want to see the day when people in Morgan Hill say they wish they had a downtown like Gilroy’s,” he said. It would require the city to buy the building and the one behind it and knock them down. The billiards hall is now slated to house the Community Media Access Partnership television station now housed at Christopher High  and a computer center for people to study and use desktops.John Russell, of Rally Round Downtown Gilroy, said he would be happy with a gun shop or any retail, "as long as it's not another salon or piñata shop."

Now hiring: Water district seeks new director

The Santa Clara Valley Water District is accepting applications

A safer and straighter Highway 152

The twisting, two-lane, nightmare that is Highway 152 could

Quelling Cinco de Mayo protests a ‘larger battle’

Four Live Oak High School students urged the mostly Hispanic contingent of adults in attendance for an April 21 Cinco de Mayo community safety meeting to not show up in front of their school May 5 like two other groups have planned.

Supervisors buy land for affordable housing projects

Santa Clara County supervisors approved a quartet of housing projects March 22 that will convert existing properties into more than 300 affordable housing units. The board unanimously approved the purchase of four properties—two in San Jose, one in Morgan Hill and one in Santa Clara—that...

Biden sworn in as 46th U.S President

Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, taking office at a moment of profound health, economic and political crises with a promise to seek unity after a tumultuous four years that tore at the fabric of American society.

City will cut and plant new trees

Gilroy officials responded to winning a suit against a resident who wanted the city to stop cutting 235 trees until it gets a second assessment of whether they truly need to be cut.

What is Gilroy doing to bring in tourists?

As the promise of revenues from retail is fading, the face of tourism in and around Gilroy continues to evolve and become more important to the city coffers. Gilroy Welcome Center Director Jane Howard has taken out ads around the world to let people know about all that Gilroy offers and has high hopes for new tourist attractions.

Council Sorts Through Hot Issues at Summit

Retreat offers members chance to consider topics and create

SOCIAL MEDIA

10,025FansLike
1,239FollowersFollow
2,589FollowersFollow