Gilroy Maps Vision for High-Speed Future

With so many multicolored markers distributed around the student center at Gilroy High School Wednesday, the of the city’s in-house high-speed rail study nearly resembled an art class.

Yet when residents sat down in small groups, art was hardly the focus: attendees were charged with planning the future of a city destined for one of two possible high-speed rail stations in 2025.

“We want to include as many of these ideas as possible,” said Jeff Williams, project manager for the consulting firm involved in the project, Design, Community & Environment.

More than fifty people took part in the workshop, which focused on the specific benefits and challenges facing the surrounding development near each of the two station options in Gilroy.

While the California High-Speed Rail Authority will have the final say, Gilroy’s visioning study aims to produce a recommendation that, after city council approval, will carry significant weight in influencing the authority’s choice.

“Your input tonight is to determine what is the best possible plan for each area,” said David Early, president and founder of the firm, “the City Council will definitely listen to that.”

After a presentation on the existing conditions in the downtown location and the unincorporated area east of the Gilroy Premium Outlets, residents broke into small groups to mark the development they felt was suitable to each location.

Concerns ranged from parks to parking, and everything in-between. Participants used colored markers to indicate areas on maps that would be ideal for certain kinds of development.

While the visioning team will be compiling those ideas into cohesive visions in the next few weeks, some clear differences in the two sites emerged:

• A downtown station would work well with existing (and growing) pedestrian, housing and other infrastructure, but the cramped quarters would make building in the area less flexible

• The agricultural land east of Gilroy has room to grow, but it is away from the heart of the city and lacks existing infrastructure. It also has a higher risk of significant impact in a once-a-century flood disaster.

Organizers explained the goals of “transit-oriented development,” asking attendees to envision a future where housing, retail and other popular destinations might be available within a ten-minute walk from the station.

“You want buildings that add up to something,” said Williams.

Some attendees questioned if the station would work more like an airport rather than a transit hub. They proposed development that was more suitable to a terminal.

“Any time you try to predict the future, it’s tough to know until you get there,” said Williams of the rail authority’s projected use.

It was the first rail meeting for many of the attendees, drawn to learn more about the project that could dramatically change the city.

“I came here to get educated,” said Joan Buchanan, who serves on the city’s Public Art Committee, “Hopefully public art can be a part of this.”

For others, it was the latest in a long line of meetings. 

“Depending on the alignment they chose, I could lose my house,” said John Tomasello.

The visioning team will hold another public workshop in August to present their combination of the public proposals. A city council workshop will occur on July 19.

The visioning project was funded by a $150,000 grant from VTA and a $50,000 contribution from the city. The council will approve the final recommendation in October.