Martin Joseph Stallone on Gilroy’s General Land Development Philosophy

In a recently published column, one of Gilroy’s city leaders offered an insightful, nuanced view on the manner in which value is defined relative to land use and development. Rather than defining value in a purely economic sense (in which financial loss or gain is the sole determining factor), the term was instead defined in a much broader sense that included the full range of benefits, both tangible and intangible, delivered as a result of the city’s ownership of one particular piece of land: Gilroy Gardens.

Without weighing in on the issues specific to Gilroy Gardens, Martin Joseph Stallone expressed deep appreciation for the fact that the city’s leadership had adopted such a nuanced and reflective view of assessing the value of a particular property. Mr. Stallone, the executive vice president of a land development company operating out of Eastern Pennsylvania, shares a similar view when it comes to determining the potential future value of a parcel of land.

This is especially the case with regard to land use, but the potential future value of a land development project is always influenced by a multitude of factors not always apparent upon first glance. Mr. Stallone’s professional responsibilities require a careful analysis in which each and every potentially influential factor is thoughtfully considered, ultimately helping determine how to proceed in a way that yields the greatest possible value for the company.

Being uniquely familiar with the level of nuance required for this particular type of evaluative process, Mr. Stallone praised Gilroy’s city leaders for taking the time to carefully weigh the potential outcomes of the different options available prior to making the purchase of Gilroy Gardens. From a rhetorical perspective, it is not always easy -- in fact, it is often impossibly difficult -- to explain a nuanced position in which the listener is asked to reconsider the way they understand a term’s meaning.

Enduring this level of rhetorical difficulty in order to explain the true value of the city’s decision regarding Gilroy Gardens is, according to Mr. Stallone, worthy of sincere praise for a wide variety of reasons. In offering praise for the city’s careful consideration regarding the value of Gilroy Gardens, Mr. Stallone also took the opportunity to advocate for a similar level of analysis among the many different parties involved during the various stages of any land development project.

Through the use of thorough and thoughtful evaluative processes, land development projects are more likely to be optimized in a way that delivers the greatest possible value for everyone involved, even those who might only be indirectly affected in some way. It is for this reason that Mr. Stallone has continued to refer to the decision-making processes employed in Gilroy as a potent example underscoring the importance of a nuanced approach to land development and land use.