Politics & Government

Would an East-Side Rail Station Kill Gilroy's Downtown?

The Gilroy City Council discusses the economic relationship between the two possible high-speed train station sites facing the city.

Want to get up to speed on the Gilroy High-Speed Train Station Visioning Project? Visit the project website, watch video of the presentation to the City Council, or view the PDF included with this story.

As members of the in-house Gilroy High-Speed Train Station Visioning Project continue to research the alternatives for a future station in Gilroy, the City Council expressed during a study session with the group on Tuesday the importance of considering the economic impacts of each option.

High among their concerns was the possibility that a station in the rural area east of the Gilroy Premium Outlets would divert interest and development away from the city’s historic downtown.

Find out what's happening in Gilroywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“You can kiss downtown goodbye,” said Councilman Peter Arellano, “This will be the new downtown.”

The downtown district is the second possible station location, though some members of the public said at the meeting that they felt a downtown station would actually be worse for the area.

Find out what's happening in Gilroywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Council members asked that the visioning team make a point to consider how a station built at one location would affect the economics of the other.

Members of the visioning team, a hybrid of city staff and planners from the firm, Design, Community and Environment, held the council session as part of the $200,000 study that began conducting public workshops in May. 

A $150,000 grant from the Valley Transportation Authority helped to fund the study, which will ultimately present recommendations that, with council approval, will go on to the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

While the state authority has the final say, city officials said that a well-crafted recommendation would go far in influencing the decision.

After receiving the full report on each alternative, the City Council will decide which station option to support.

The visioning project will hold its third public workshop in August, discussing a cohesive presentation of the findings from the most recent meetings with the public, said Bruce Brubaker, an associate principal at DC&E.

Over the last two sessions, project members asked the public to show the kinds of development they would like to see around the possible locations and to rate their concerns.

Some additional ideas from the council, like a shared parking garage between the outlets and the east-side station, would be shared with the public at future meetings, said Brubaker.

There was no action taken by the council during the presentation. The purpose of the meeting was to update the legislative body on the progress of the project and to receive comment.

The first high-speed trains are expected to be operating in Gilroy in 2025.


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