City Beat
High Speed Rail Station Area Plan
T
he City has begun the second phase of land use and
circulation planning for the Downtown in anticipation
of construction of a station in the area by the California
High-Speed Rail Authority.
In the initial phase, issues and opportunities related to the
proposed station were identified and evaluated. Based on that
evaluation and input received at a community meeting last
November, three possible land use and circulation alternatives
for Downtown were developed. The alternatives are described
in the Alternatives Analysis Report which can be found on the
project website. The draft land use and circulation alternatives
were reviewed at a community meeting held on June 28, 2016.
Significant outreach to the community in advance of the meet-
ing resulted in approximately 80 individuals attending and
providing comments on the proposals. Much useful information
on community preferences for the future of Downtown was
provided. Additionally, a number of the attendees expressed a
preference for the high-speed rail station to be located east of
the Outlets, rather than Downtown. A follow-up community
meeting is anticipated later this summer.
Additional information about the project may be found
on the Station Area Plan website gilroyhighspeedtrain.org/ or
by contacting the project manager, David Bischoff, at david.
[email protected] or (408) 846-0253.
Gilroy says ‘Yes’ to Energy Choice
T
he City of Gilroy and eleven other communities
in Santa Clara County took action to form and
join the Silicon Valley Clean Energy Authority
(SVCEA), a local non-profit agency charged with
procuring cleaner energy for residents and businesses.
Community Choice Energy (CCE) is an opportunity
to change the electricity market and provide residents
and businesses with a new choice. This new electricity
provider would be entirely locally run. It’s similar to
buying in bulk or participating in a co-op. The agency
would buy power on the open market, encouraging the
kind of competition that can result in more renewable
energy sources at lower rates.
Under CCE, PG&E would continue to provide
essential services as a partner, delivering the electricity
over existing infrastructure, maintaining the power lines,
sending bills, and providing customer service. Your bill
would even look the same.
When a community decides to create or join a CCE,
all customers within that jurisdiction are automatically
enrolled in the CCE. However, customers can choose
to opt-out and remain with or go back to PG&E. In
existing programs, 80-90 percent of customers have
chosen to stay with the new local agency as their
electricity provider, opting for the cleaner, greener,
local choice. For information and updates, visit
svcleanenergy.org.
City Election November 8, 2016
Downtown Police Patrol
O
fficer Nestor Quinones and Corporal Jesus Cortez have been busy with their engagement efforts as the Gilroy Police
Department’s Downtown District Liaison Officers. They represent the department at the Downtown Business Association
meetings and make every effort to visit the downtown area during their unobligated time. To compliment these efforts,
the Gilroy Police Department initiated a pilot downtown weekend patrol program primarily to strengthen the partnership with
the downtown merchants, bring a sense of security to our community members and address potential quality of life concerns. The
officers have been patrolling on horseback, on dual sport motorcycles and on foot every Friday and Saturday evening for the last
couple of weeks. The pilot program will continue until late August. The officers have received positive feedback and accolades for
their presence in the Gilroy’s downtown area.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2016
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