Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Economic Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City updates on ice center, Gourmet Alley and tourism initiatives as downtown activity grows
Summary
Economic development staff described three council priorities — the Recreation Gateway, a proposed Gilroy Ice Center and a $3.9 million Gourmet Alley infrastructure grant — and highlighted new downtown businesses, marketing efforts and upcoming small-business workshops.
Victoria Valencia, Gilroy's economic development manager, presented a progress update on the city's economic initiatives and downtown revitalization efforts.
Valencia summarized three council-set priorities from 2019: the Recreation Gateway Area (536 acres including Gilroy Gardens), the Gilroy Ice Center and Gourmet Alley downtown improvements. She said previous adventure-park proposals for the Recreation Gateway did not move forward and that the council continues to seek viable tourist-attracting projects for that site.
On the Gilroy Ice Center, Valencia said a term sheet was approved by council in June 2022 for a roughly 100,000-square-foot facility with two NHL-sized rinks, about 387 parking spaces and programming that would include free admission for Gilroy students. She said Sharks Sports & Entertainment would finance construction through a city-issued bond and that the city is completing infrastructure work to support the project; the next step is preparing the construction bid package.
Valencia said the Gourmet Alley project received a $3.9 million infrastructure grant that funded alleyway lighting, seating, trash receptacles and shared trash enclosures across downtown blocks; the project also added about 44 parking spaces at a pop-up park and 54 conditionally approved spaces at Fourth and Monterey. She said alley lighting is expected to be complete in March.
Valencia reported that 15 new downtown businesses opened in the last year and promoted visitgilroy.com as a consolidated visitor resource. She also outlined small-business workshops, a March sidewalk-vendor workshop (English/Spanish) and forthcoming updates to the special-events and mobile-food-vendor ordinances.
Ending: Valencia said staff will return with details as projects progress and encouraged residents to use the Visit Gilroy site for event listings and visitor information.
