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Gilroy staff outline Civic Center Master Plan; draft EIR flags Wheeler Auditorium loss as only significant, unavoidable impact
Summary
City staff presented a draft Civic Center Master Plan that would demolish four downtown buildings to build a new city hall, a multi‑generational center, a recreation/aquatic center and a civic park; the draft EIR identified the loss of Wheeler Auditorium as the single significant and unavoidable environmental impact and recommends historic documentation prior to demolition.
City of Gilroy project manager Ryan Ossington outlined a draft Civic Center Master Plan that would replace four existing downtown buildings — City Hall, the Annex, Wheeler Auditorium and the Senior Center — with a new city hall, a multi‑generational facility, a recreation and aquatic center, and a civic park. The plan envisions expanded parking (about 425 spaces in the footprint) with an optional 2‑ to 3‑story garage that could add roughly 180 stalls if needed, and consolidates dispersed city staff into a larger city hall.
The presentation included program and size estimates: the multi‑generational facility is preliminarily estimated at about 41,600 square feet, the recreation/aquatic center about 42,600 square feet, and a proposed city hall about 47,500 square feet. Ossington said the civic park would be about the size of a football field and include a shaded paseo for community events, a walking loop, an interactive water feature and bike parking.
Ossington said the city contracted with ELS Urban Architecture and Design (contract awarded by the city council in November…
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