Downtown Development Moves Forward With New Apartments

One of downtown Gilroy's empty properties will get a little live-in company after the Planning Commission approved a special request to add a set of ground-floor apartments to the upscale Allium building at 7600 Monterey St.

While downtown zoning favors retail and restaurants on the ground floor, building owner Steve Benjamin said he had been unable to find suitable tenants since purchasing it in June.

“We have aggressively marketed the space, and we have had zero interest to date,” he said.

The approval of a conditional use permit Thursday allows the construction of four apartments on the ground floor within a year, joining the 24 apartments already occupied in the four-story building.  

The new apartments would be on the backside of the building, and retail space would remain for rent on the side facing Monterey Street.

The permit requirement for office use .

It only took four months to rent the building’s current apartments, Benjamin said, with demand for the new spaces expected to be high as well.

“Half of them commute on the train to San Jose,” said project architect Mitchell Benjamin.

The commission discussed parking concerns downtown as a broad topic, saying that it would be up to the City Council to determine if the situation downtown would need to be addressed. Applicants said that an exclusive garage and potential acquisition of a nearby lot would handle the new residents for their building.

“This project alone, I feel, would be good for Gilroy,” said Commissioner Ermelindo Puente.

Before Thursday's meeting ended, Commission Chairman Ben Anderson asked if new Commissioner Terry Aulman had any remarks.

“I have no agendas,” she said, “I just want to make thoughtful decisions that stick to the general plan and do the best thing for the city.”