Guest column by Marie Blankley: Mayor looks back on accomplishments, forward to a better future
Housing remains of concern in Gilroy and statewide as we enter the new year.
Depot Alley will be improved. Photo by Marty Cheek
By Marie Blankley
Marie Blankley
As I reflect on 2022, the two-year midpoint of my mayoral term, I am most proud of the progress that has come from building consensus on goals that we stick to and from working together to meet them.
Bringing to consensus a seven-member governing body elected individually by the public is no easy task, but it is the very cornerstone on which the democratic process depends.
On Jan. 28, the Gilroy City Council will convene to discuss the next two-year budget cycle wherein we prioritize direction to city staff. This strategic planning session is open to the public and brings transparency to council deliberations on how we direct city staff with our city resources.
The end result can never please everyone, but respecting the outcome of the democratic process subsequently determines how well we move forward as a team in support of city staff achieving those goals.
One such goal for 2022 was to begin a five-year street maintenance plan that would prevent the further deterioration of our city streets.
Last year marked Year 1 of that five-year plan for which Year 2 (2023) is also funded. Our Jan. 28 strategic planning meeting will determine whether the city council supports continued funding into years 2024 and 2025 of this essential city service, without which we all suffer as our street conditions decline.
Please be patient with road disruptions, including those yet-to-be completed by Valley Water, which is placing much-needed underground piping to transport recycled water, as well as by companies laying underground fiber optics cable to increase the Internet highway capacity throughout the city. We need those improvements, too.
Also accomplished in 2022 was the go-ahead to add two ice rinks to the Gilroy Sports Park that will be operated by the San Jose Sharks organization. We anticipate construction to begin in the spring/summer of 2023 and a timeline of 18 to 24 months to complete the project.
In our downtown we have nearly completed the Gourmet Parking Lot on Seventh and Eigleberry streets, and we are about to begin construction on both Gourmet and Railroad alleys, which will provide inviting pedestrian access to restaurants and businesses on the back side of the buildings along Monterey Street between 4th and 7th streets.
Understand that the buildings themselves on Monterey Street are not owned by the city, a common misconception particularly by those who compare Gilroy’s downtown to that of Morgan Hill, where eminent domain was used and financed by a voter-approved bond measure to forcibly remove private property ownership and make way for a redevelopment plan.
The same bond measure did not pass in Gilroy, and we continue to improve and maintain the public portions of downtown. The city offers financial incentives to building owners to improve their building facades, a streamlined permit process to attract businesses, and ordinances that allow for mixed residential and commercial uses to increase foot traffic and customer-base in the downtown area.
This spring should see the improved yet still temporary Santa Teresa Fire Station. Council also supported the continued funding of a trust to help finance our PERS (Public Employee Retirement System) debt, a partnership with Gilroy Unified School District for police officers dedicated to school safety, and two “Quality of Life” officers dedicated to encampment issues.
Housing remains of concern in Gilroy and statewide as we enter the new year. To assure that all cities allocate enough land within their zoning jurisdictions to accommodate housing of all types and levels of affordability, minimum housing requirements are set by the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) for each city in eight-year cycles. Gilroy’s housing site capacity as provided in our 2040 General Plan exceeds our RHNA requirements by more than 20 percent, meaning we are well in compliance and positioned for applications to build. We are currently in contract with the county for 57 housing units near the transit center, 50 percent of which will be very low and extremely low-income housing (25 percent each), and low-income for the remainder.
Shortly, I hope to begin formal discussions to build a centrally located Community Center. Such a process takes years in the making, but it’s time we form a plan to work toward if support of the council and the public is there.
As we go into 2023 and look to Gilroy’s future, I hope a sense of togetherness will lead us to even greater accomplishments, and that we continually strive to be a warm and welcoming community for all.
Join me on the first Saturday of each month (9:30 a.m. in council chambers) for in-person coffee and conversation to share struggles and ideas that can help us thrive together. To follow city news and announcements, subscribe to the city’s weekly Email Express by contacting the city clerk at [email protected] or (408) 846-0204.
Wishing everyone peace and kindness in 2023. Happy New Year, Gilroy!
Marie Blankley is the mayor of Gilroy. She wrote this column for Gilroy Life.