People on the Street
You’re in Charge…
what is your New Year’s Resolution for the City for 2017?
Following the election of November 2016, residents of Gilroy and Morgan Hill from many ages and
walks of life responded to this question.
Written By Amy McElroy
Growth and development remain primary concerns for citizens in both Morgan Hill and Gilroy
Betsy Ding, Retired
Morgan Hill John Litzinger, Civil Engineer
Gilroy
“Our community must reflect
balanced growth that includes
affordable housing for young
families with their new ideas and
energy and a place for seniors with
their storied experience that adds
so much to our town. We also need
a balance of light industry and
businesses that will support jobs
and open spaces for recreation and
wildlife that will enrich our lives.” Concerned about the eventual
location of the high-speed train
(HST) station—the establish-
ment of which was passed
as part of Measure H in the
November 2016 election.
The station will either be
located downtown or east of
the Gilroy Outlets.
“The location of the HST
station will determine where
and how dense the city will
grow for the next 100 years. Cities always grow where
there is infrastructure.”
From the time Gilroy was first built around Llagas
Creek, to when the town instead began to grow around
the railroad, then increased in the same area as cars
travelled parallel up Monterey Road, until Highway
101 took growth east toward the Gilroy Outlets,
Litzinger explains that growth always follows the
transportation hub. As a result, he wants to ensure a
careful, considered choice is made for the city about
the placement of HST station.
Megan McCarthy, Student
Gilroy High School Senior
“My New Year’s resolution for
Gilroy is to maintain the character
of our small town without letting
modernization and overpopulation
take over the city I grew up in.”
Other citizens are focused more specifically on development of activities for their cities.
Owen McMillanm, Student
Morgan Hill High School Senior
Wants the city to develop more
things for people to do—and
not just for teenagers—saying,
“You can only go to the movie
theater and bowling alley for
so long.”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Bertha Castillo, Student
Gilroy — Attending
California State University
at Monterey Bay
“The city needs a recreation
center and a teen center.
We need to give youth some-
thing productive to do with
their time.”
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017
gmhtoday.com