"Ask Gilroy" Your City, Your Questions!

We're thrilled to unveil a new community engagement initiative aimed at addressing your questions and providing valuable insights about our city.Ask Gilroy

Have you ever wondered about Gilroy's infrastructure, upcoming developments, municipal services, or important community events? Your curiosity fuels our mission to provide you with answers.

How It Works:

Ask Away: Drop your questions in the “Ask Gilroy” survey form

We Answer: Each week, we'll pick a question and provide a detailed answer in our weekly email

Stay Informed: Sign up for our emails to access our answers and stay in the loop.

It's time to unlock the mysteries of Gilroy together! Let's dive into the heart of our community and discover what makes our city tick.

Ready to ask? Drop your questions in the survey form linked below and let’s go!

ASK GILROY SURVEY FORM


Thank you to everyone who submitted questions this week!

We've provided answers to two of the questions below and we look forward to more questions this week! Responses provided by City Administrator Jimmy Forbis.

You Asked. We Answered. (Q&A)

Question Answer 
Week of November 17,2023.  
Why is the train passing through gilroy so loud. the driver honks his horn 30 times in the middle of the night. you can hear the train all the way to St. Teresa Street in the hills. We live here 1 year and it is hard to sleep without interruption.  As trains pass through town, they are required to sound horns as they pass through major intersections. Union Pacific has jurisdiction over how the trains are operated and what is required for sounding horns as the trains pass through Gilroy.
How do I report cars parked for extended periods of time and/or parked illegally? You can submit a traffic complaint and/or parking enforcement request through the City’s website at: www.cityofgilroy.org/690/Traffic-Division. Information for filing a code enforcement complaints can be found here:
www.cityofgilroy.org/603/Code-Enforcement-Complaints.
Week of November 10, 2023.  
Seeing now that the City has said the road work is mostly complete, I wonder how it was decided which streets would be paved. My street was in fine condition and was repaved. Wren is in terrible condition but only a small portion was repaved. So why aren’t the streets that need to be repaved not getting repaved? Is there a plan to fix these streets that actually need to be repaved? How much did we spend on this project?  The selection process for street repaving is a based on a computer model (StreetSaver) that analyzes the current condition of the street, amount of use of the street, and the projected future deterioration of the street. The program helps the City allocate resources between roads that need minor to moderate maintenance to preserve their condition and roads that require a complete rebuild. In some instances, it is so costly to rebuild a street that if the City chose to do so, there would be no funds left over to maintain other streets that need minor/moderate repairs. A complete rebuild of a street is exponentially more expensive that simply maintaining a street that is in good condition.
To see what streets are in the City’s five-year street repair program and to learn more about how the street program works, please visit https://www.cityofgilroy.org/858/Better-Roads-Ahead for the Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Citywide Pavement Rehabilitation Program the City spent approximately $6.7 million.

Week of November 3, 2023.  
What is the bad smell that I’ve been smelling in Gilroy recently? I smell it throughout downtown, Old Gilroy area and up to 10th street and by the Target shopping area. The smell is most likely from the Greenwaste Z-Best Composting Facility on CA Highway 25. This facility is not within Gilroy City Limits.
Is the City considering creating any Pickleball courts that people who aren’t retired can take advantage of? The Wheeler Center (250 W. 6th Street) is open on Fridays from 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM. Sunrise Park (9525 Saddler Drive) has pickleball lines on the court, but you must bring your own nets. The City’s Parks and Recreation Commission is currently developing recommendations for the development of permanent pickleball courts in Gilroy.

Past Questions and Answers (Q&A)

Question Answer Week 
What is the status of the Gourmet Alley and Railroad Alley improvement project? When should we expect work to start? Do we expect to meet our June 2024 deadline? The project goes out for construction bidding on Friday, October 6. We expect to begin construction in early December with a three-month construction schedule. The construction schedule includes 55 days of “float,” which means if we have days of inclement weather or no construction activities, we have a 55-day buffer before our June 30, 2024 deadline. 10/06/2023
What is the timeline for the Tenth Street extension into the housing development on the hill? What is taking so long for it to begin?   There is no construction timeline for building the 10th Street bridge due to a lack of funding. The bridge will cost well over $25 million to construct; thus, the City has repeatedly applied for federal infrastructure grants but to date, has yet to be successful.  10/06/2023
When will demolition begin at the old medical complex at the corner of 6th/Princevalle? The applicant still needs to submit a final map for development; thus, the demolition/construction timeline is unknown. 10/13/2023
The Farmer’s Market is currently being held at St. Louise Regional Hospital which isn’t very accessible to most Gilroyans. Are there any plans to bring it back closer to downtown? Infrastructure was established to support events such as a farmer’s market as part of the Downtown Gourmet Parking Lot project, which is now complete. The City has had preliminary discussions with groups looking to provide a farmer’s market at the site. To date, nothing has been finalized.  10/13/2023
Can you clarify how the proposed funding for the ice rink will be structured? The City will issue bonds that the Sharks will finance through revenues generated by the ice rink. The Sharks will provide additional security for the debt through a two-year letter of credit. There is no cost to Gilroy taxpayers. 10/13/2023
What is being built on the corner of 10th Street and Chestnut? This commercial development, named Plaza Allium, will include a 120-room hotel (Hyatt Place), a car wash, four commercial buildings (including a Starbucks and Chick-Fil-A), and a gas station. 10/20/2023
Is there any plan for a protected pedestrian walkway on Luchessa Bridge? The Luchessa Bridge Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Improvements project was included in the Fiscal Year 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Program; however, the pedestrian improvements are approximately $900,000, and to date, the City has not identified a funding source. 10/20/2023
Why isn’t the City doing more in planting trees and having more open green spaces? Gilroy is a recipient of the Tree City USA award program for the last 42 years. This designation recognizes the City for its efforts towards establishing a community ordinance for tree care, having a community forestry program and observing Arbor Day. The City also partners with Our City Forest to provide funding for free residential trees and planting services. Gilroy has a very active tree program. 10/27/2023
Why does the City allow so many Starbucks? The City did not approve (or disapprove) the new Starbucks on 10th and Chestnut in Gilroy. That is up to the commercial property developer who enters into agreements with businesses wanting to open and operate in their development. This is primarily a function of supply and demand for the product. 10/27/2023
When will the hockey rink break ground? The rink is currently in the design phase. It is anticipated that actual ground-breaking will occur at the end of 2024. 10/27/2023