City Council Evaluates Proposed HSR Alignments

After presenting Gilroy’s possible High Speed Rail alignments to the community in , representatives from The Planning Center DC&E returned to Gilroy to ask for the city council’s take on the four rail options.

David Early, project manager for the planning center, provided the council with the four possible vertical rail alignments and explained the development options that would surround them.

Of the four options, two detailed downtown stations, with the first one (DT1) being at ground level and the second (DT2) consisting of a trench-like structure resembling a freeway overpass. The other two station options consist of alignments on the east side of the Gilroy outlets and Highway 101, with one being at grade level (EG1) and the other aerial (EG2).

Early also discussed the 12 concepts that are of importance when making a decision of where to build a station. Some of the most important and controversial included the preservation of community character and agricultural land, cost efficiency, adequate parking and noise.

Although the Rail Authority will make the final decision on where Gilroy's station will be built, Early said Monday’s report was designed to get the council’s feedback.

“You all have a very strong interest in terms of alignment, and this report is to give you the information for you as a city to make a recommendation to the rail authority,” Early said.

Following Monday’s presentation, Gilroy City Council members began expressing concern about parking revenue and development.

Councilman Peter Arellano said a main concern for him was the strong chance that the city will lose revenue to the rail authority because of parking fees.

“I’d hate for us to lose the money if the High-Speed Rail Authority gets all the revenue from parking fees,” Arellano said. “That’s a boatload of money coming in from parking. They will get the money, and we will be the ones who will have to put up with all the cars and traffic.”

As for development, council member Perry Woodward suggested utilizing the space above DT2 by creating developments above the possible trench structure.

“The real choice in my mind is how we are going to do downtown—the other options are not viable choices,” Woodward said. “We can build over these trenches. There are construction methods for that.”

Early told the council that community members unanimously favored DT2 at November’s workshop, because of its declined trench and less overall development.

Although council member Peter Leroe-Muñoz agreed that DT2 is the best option, he said he felt the report was incomplete, and said he was left with questions.

“The City needs more answers on a few issues, including specific economic impacts of each hypothetical location, and accurate measurements and dimensions of each alignment,” Leroe-Muñoz said. “I want the vision project to look at possible arrangements for covering a trenched alignment, which would serve as areas for parks or similar public spaces.”

Leroe-Muñoz added that more community feedback needs to be solicited through public workshops so locals can prioritize the considered factors, such as transportation and the environmental impact.

Early said he’ll take the council’s recommendations and return with an update sometime next year.

Other specifics about each rail alignment include:

DT1—Would have a six-to-eight foot elevation, with parking structures along Alexander and Chestnut streets, housing units, and retail and mixed-use development surrounding the station.

DT2—Would have the rail line running downtown through a 65-foot open trench, with development and parking concentrated around 10th and Alexander streets. Development would include housing, retail and office units, a 200,000-square-foot conference center and mixed-use development on Monterey Street.

EG1—Development would be focused west of the station and north of Leavesley Road. Development would include a convention center, office space between the outlets and retail space and a conference center.

EG2—This option would consist of extensive, targeted development with a park system, hotel, housing, retail and office space.