After four years, the possibilities for the controversial 660
acres included in Gilroy’s planning boundaries are becoming more
clear
Including the land known as “the 660” in Gilroy’s General Plan boundary is a position The Dispatch supported before the City Council approved the controversial look-to-the-future plan in June 2002. For almost four years, nothing changed on the 660 acres.
Now it has. Ownership changes and a lease-purchase option for other investors took place last month. The city’s initial plan, back when it seemed the whole county was afflicted with “Cisco Fever,” was industrial development.
However, downturns in that market, fueled by literally millions of square feet of in-place, vacant buildings with landlords hungry for any tenant at cut-rate prices in San Jose, makes developing the property for industrial use infeasible now and in the foreseeable future.
One must imagine that the new investors have commercial development in mind. Today, that use makes sense. The property is close to regional-draw commercial development already in place. Extending utilities would not be much of a stretch.
A customer base, those who currently shop at the outlets, is available and demonstrably eager to patronize new stores. But, as City Planning Manager Bill Faus points out, there is no current plan. Investors appear to be taking the long-term approach.
That’s excellent because it means there’s time to get development, if it occurs, right. First of all, the regulatory freeze between the City of Gilroy and the Local Agency Formation Commission may be thawing, as evidenced by LAFCO’s recent decision favoring annexation of the Barbieri property next to the new Sports Park. Time may well be the ally in relations with LAFCO.
Gilroy’s new agricultural mitigation policy has likely helped, as well. It appears that the property, if annexed, would have to comply with that policy, and that would again be appealed to LAFCO.
A zone change by the city would have to follow, but it should not be an obstacle to a City Council that is quite business-friendly, and of course would welcome increased sales tax revenues.
About a third of the property adjacent to Llagas Creek was set aside as open space. Councilman Craig Gartman has been shopping the idea that, if the property comes in, the city should look toward buying the open space area for a new park. Gartman also thinks that if the city buys
the land, it might well be a good site for future Garlic Festivals, as the approved
Glen-Loma development along Santa Teresa Boulevard eats up current Garlic Festival parking space.
A careful, fully mitigated plan to utilize the property to enhance city tax revenues, as well as provide a new year-round recreation area and a possible new home for the Garlic Festival, are all worthy prospective plans to be fully explored.
