Refusal to join the Westfield Mall driven task force
explained
Dear Editor,
Some have questioned why local environmental groups are not applying to be part of the East Gilroy Specific Plan Task Force. They have said if you don’t participate, “your voice won’t be heard” or “you can’t complain”.
Speaking for Save Open Space-Gilroy only, the reason we individually and collectively decided not to apply was because being part of the EGSP Task Force would imply that we are in favor of and willing to help develop this most environmentally sensitive area of our city. Our position on this has not changed. We feel that ANY development in the 660 acres is premature since Gilroy already has hundreds of undeveloped acres within our urban service area that should be used before bringing in more land.
We also feel that proper process is not being followed. Westfield Corporation has been fast-tracking their project from day one by paying a Gilroy city planner to work exclusively on their project. They are trying to pre-empt the specific plan process by applying now, before the specific plan is designed and adopted, for a General Plan amendment tailored to their project. If they are successful then it will be a “done deal” for this part of the 660 acres. If the Task Force wanted to design a different configuration – e.g.put commercial uses along Leavesley Road instead of Gilman Avenue, for example – their hands would be tied.
Any required General Plan amendments should be done concurrently with the adoption of a specific plan (as was done for the Hecker Pass Specific Plan and the Glen Loma Ranch Specific Plan. The current process for the EGSP, by contrast, is backwards and simply wrong. The cart (Westfield) is pulling the horse (Gilroy). We cannot, in good conscience, be a party to such shenanigans.
We will, however, be watchdogs of the whole process to make sure that all environmental impacts are fully studied and mitigated. We will attend the Task Force meetings as members of the public. With the advice of our legal experts, we will comment on the process and the environmental impact reports and we will speak to the public as clearly as we can about the impacts of this huge development application.
There is no urgency to developing yet another regional shopping mall.
Why suffer the environmental impacts on global warming, loss of prime agricultural land, habitat and traffic before we have to?”
Carolyn Tognetti, David Collier and Connie Rogers, Save Open Space – Gilroy
