Politics

A new neighborhood will eventually carpet 112 acres of pastoral property nestled south of Hecker Pass Highway, following City Council's unanimous initial approval of 186 single-family homes set to be constructed this spring, if not sooner.

The Gilroy City Council will vote on a tentative map and hold a public hearing at the Oct. 21 meeting for a 186 single-family residential lot development located in the East Cluster of the Hecker Pass Specific Plan Area.

The 25-member General Plan Advisory Committee held its first public meeting Wednesday night. Known as GPAC, the group is tasked with revamping Gilroy's vision and guiding principles through the creation of a new 20-year General Plan.

Mayor Don Gage and the City are forging ahead with a proposed “Quality of Life” tax to possibly fund projects that improve safety, create recreational opportunities for the community and bolster economic revitalization and recovery.

What can the City of Gilroy do to inject more life into downtown?

South County economic developers are cheerleading Monterey County's plan to bring train service from Salinas to San Jose, with stops in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and eventually Castroville and Pajaro.

Dealing with downtown's 18 unreinforced masonry buildings is slow-going but starting to yield results, following City Council's last-ditch effort in June to enforce liens on property owners who were noncompliant in retrofitting their buildings to local and state safety regulations.

The City of Gilroy is offering the public a chance to sound off on what the priorities should be when it comes to revitalizing the downtown area.

Hundreds of new jobs and truckloads of natural and organic foods are coming to Gilroy.

Last week, the City of Gilroy denied this newspaper's request for the names of police and fire employees who have retired with disability benefits.