HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Item 7.1 02/20/2025 Glen Loma Ranch (TM 24-02) and (TM 24-03)
February 16, 2025
Re: Glen Loma Ranch Town Center Flex Area, Canyon Creek, Rocky Knoll, Malvasia II
Project Number: TM 24-02 and TM 24-03
Project Title: Canyon Creek, Rocky Knoll and Malvasia II Tentative Map, Town Center Flex Area
Tentative Map
Project Applicant: John Filice representing the Glen Loma Group/Filice Family Estate
Project Location: Luchessa Ave/Miller Ave/Santa Teresa Blvd
Assessor Parcel No. APN 808-58-002 and 808-58-003, 808-18-032 and 808-58-005
Planning Commission,
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the Canyon Creek, Rocky Knoll, Malvasia II, and
Town Center Flex Area Tentative Map. Comments below are based on the review of the
Planning Commission Agenda Packet for February 20, 2025. Additional comments may be
forthcoming pending final review. This project will have a direct impact in the City of Gilroy by
achieving our goal to reduce air emissions from on-road motor vehicles and future
developments. Improve air quality by encouraging our residents, commuters, employees to
mode shift from vehicles to cycling, increase walking as alternatives to driving for short and
first/last mile trips, and add new riders to the transit system.
This project should include a robust Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program that
encourages nearby transit to extend their routes through Glen Loma Ranch, promotes bike
lanes/off-street paths, and walking routes to further reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With its convenient location to transit, shopping, and
bike/ped facilities there are few barriers to reducing VMT at this project through a managed
program. With the recent adoption of our City’s General Plan 2040, we as a community called
for bold actions that include continuing to promote cleaner modes of transportation. We
encourage existing and proposed development to incorporate Transportation Demand
Management (TDM) measures such as car-sharing, transit passes, and unbundling of parking
(requiring separate purchase or lease of a parking space) where such measures will result in a
reduction in vehicle miles traveled, reduction of required amount of parking or an increase in the
use of alternate transportation modes.
We advocate that all new construction incorporate an all-electric model and be fossil fuel free in
order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our city is committed to helping our customers
prepare for the future in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. Since California
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plans to phase out the use of natural gas, many property owners could benefit by preparing their
homes for the eventual replacement of gas with electric appliances when completing other
projects in the home. If new electrical circuits need to be established or if existing circuits need
to be moved, it can be beneficial to do so when an electrician is already onsite. This avoids the
need to seek out qualified electricians in the future, obtain quotes, etc. Work completed now
can also be incorporated into a current building permit. NOx-emitting natural gas furnaces and
water heaters will be phased out over time, beginning with water heaters in 20271.
We are actively embracing, advancing ideas, and projects that promote the concept of free-
range people in the City of Gilroy. We advocate for building and planning that considers future
generations as well as current residents who don’t own cars. Advancing mobility options reflects
what we are teaching the youth in our community through Safe Routes to School and why we
are nationally recognized as a Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community from the League of American
Bicyclists, as well as recognized by the World Health Organization as an Age-Friendly
Community. Continuing to leverage our Measure B Education & Encouragement (E&E) funding
for established work plans/programs will further enhance Gilroy’s efforts. Measure B E&E Bike
to Work Day, Community Bike/Walks Counts, Community Engagement, General, Online Media
Campaign, and Safe Routes to School work plans.
Gilroy has a fully connected bike network and transit options. We have a large population that
works, visits, and attends schools in Gilroy that benefits from local transit and rideshare. Gilroy
has the vision that the glass is half full, we have the ability to innovate, and adapt to programs
that will further reduce our VMT.
We have the following recommendations and comments based on the Canyon Creek,
Rocky Knoll, Malvasia II, and Town Center Flex Area Tentative Map and our General Plan
2040 Mobility-
Recommend Promoting Gilroy’s Safe Routes to School Program- Both the City of Gilroy
and Gilroy Unified School District through formally adopted resolutions are a Safe Routes to
School City2 and School District. There is a formally adopted Safe Routes to School Action
Plan3 and formal Safe Routes to School Task Force. The Schools that will serve this location are
Las Animas Elementary, Solorsano (Ascencion) Middle School, and Gilroy High School.
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Mitigations- While the City of Gilroy will begin work on a Climate
Action Plan /GHG reduction strategy in early 2025, a GHG reduction strategy has not yet been
adopted by the City. To meet the BAAQMD’s GHG Threshold, this project should make no
connections to natural gas, meet CALGreen requirements that are energy efficient, be
constructed in a manner that would avoid wasteful use of energy, and reduce VMT per capita by
15 percent over regional average. Consistent with the requirements of the CALGreen Building
3 https://www.cityofgilroy.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/3233?fileID=8561
2https://www.cityofgilroy.org/DocumentCenter/View/7646/Resolution-2012-20-City-of-Gilroy-Supports-Safe
-Routes-to-School-
1 https://www.cityofgilroy.org/1065/Pre-Wire-Prepare-for-the-Future
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Standards Code, each of the residences should install a 208/240-volt branch EV charging circuit
and receptacle in the garage to allow for on-site EV charging. We encourage a solar plus battery
system on each home of the project.
We support the City of Gilroy implementing their own VMT/TDM Policy so that future
developments don’t have to continue to rely on VTA. We recommend that new homes
purchased receive a $100 Clipper Card and annually that Clipper Card is auto-loaded $100 by
the projects HOA, i.e. Kern Cottages and Royal Townhomes conditions of approval. It takes a
combination of all-electric construction and VMT reductions to mitigate the negative impacts to
our environment. We have solutions that work, including interacting with transit agencies, to
bring more frequent transit to where we are seeing an increase in development. This takes
innovation through policies and programs that we have and active management of those
programs with property management. We can’t continue to rely on mode shifting without actively
managing programs. All GHG emissions should be offset at the project site because that
benefits the residents of the project and City of Gilroy. Purchasing carbon offset credits don’t
help the residents of Gilroy and future residents of Gilroy.
Recommended Bike Parking- A more robust program including e-bike parking in the garages
and public bike parking within the 1.44 private open spaces will further drive down VMT.
General Plan 2040 Mobility-The Mobility Element provides the framework for decisions in
Gilroy concerning the citywide transportation system. It seeks to create a balanced
transportation network that supports and encourages walking, bicycling, and transit ridership.
The goals and policies address a variety of topics, including multimodal transportation, complete
streets, pedestrian facilities, bikeways, public transit, vehicular transportation, parking, and
goods movement.
M 3.2 New Development. Require new development to include a system of sidewalks,
trails, and bikeways that link all land uses, provide accessibility to parks and schools,
and connect to all existing or planned external street and trail facilities in accordance
with the Mobility Diagrams. The Specific Plan also includes a well-developed system of
bicycle and pedestrian trails that provide connectivity throughout the Specific Plan area
and to adjacent residential neighborhoods, Christmas Hill Park, and the Uvas Creek Park
Preserve. Opportunities for transit are also included within the plan area. We agree that
Glen Loma Ranch has done an excellent job in providing and connecting miles of off-street trails
for bike/ped.
M 3.4 Bicycle and pedestrian Path Network. Develop and maintain a network of paths
along linear parks, public easements, drainages, and other open space areas to
accommodate bicycle and pedestrian traffic.The proposed Tentative Map (TM 24-03) will
advance the Specific Plan’s bicycle and pedestrian goals by constructing the Rocky
Knoll trail and developing the portion of the Santa Teresa Boulevard trail that abuts its
boundary. These trail improvements, along with the trails constructed with the other
Specific Plan neighborhoods, will provide pedestrian and bicycle access between
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neighborhoods and recreational areas within the Specific Plan area. We agree that Glen
Loma Ranch has done an excellent job in providing and connecting miles of off-street trails for
bike/ped.
Mobility 4.6- Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
Coordinate with VTA on the planning of new transit routes within Gilroy and maintain a
strong relationship with VTA management to ensure continued cooperation. Was this
development project routed for plan review with our partner VTA, we have the opportunity to
shift riders towards transit through a robust managed Transportation Demand Management
(TDM) program? We can’t continue to rely on mode shifting without actively managing
programs.
Mobility 4.8- Consider Transit in Planning and Development Proposals
Coordinate with VTA on advance planning projects and development proposals that may
have implications for public transit and consider the VTA’s Transit Sustainability
Policy/Service Design Guidelines. What has this development done towards meeting this
general plan consistency?
Existing Transit Services- We encourage this development, staff, HOA, and the public to
advocate for extending VTA bus services to Glen Loma Ranch. Rapid 568 Gilroy-San Jose and
Express 121 Gilroy-Lockheed Martin are located at Gilroy Transit Center. Caltrain provides
service from Gilroy to San Francisco (2-Hour Train Ride) Monday to Friday. Four trains leave the
Downtown Gilroy Transit Center at 5:52am · 6:31am · 6:52am · 7:31am. You can take your bike
with you or park it at a locker at the Gilroy Transit Center and a future extension south to
Salinas.4 Bus service between Santa Clara County and Monterey County includes 4 round trips
Mon-Fri and connects passengers between Santa Clara County and Monterey County. Bus Line
59 runs between VTA’s Gilroy Transit Center and Salinas Intermodal Transit Center/AMTRAK.5
This is a great opportunity to promote the use of public transit to the residents and visitors
through outreach programs established in a managed Transportation Demand Management
(TDM) program. Leverage the Measure B E&E funding the city has and the marketing outreach
resources from Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).6
Mobility 5.3- Promote Non-Auto Modes of Transportation Consider offering incentives as
part of a multimodal system approach, for projects that incorporate travel demand
management techniques and promote transit ridership, biking, and walking in order to
reduce air pollution, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. We support the
City of Gilroy implementing their own VMT/TDM Policy so that future developments don’t have
to continue to rely on VTA. It takes a combination of all-electric construction and VMT reductions
to mitigate the negative impacts to our environment. We have solutions that work, including
interacting with transit agencies, to bring more frequent transit to where we are seeing an
increase in development. This takes innovation through policies and programs that we have and
6 https://www.vta.org/faq/how-do-i-start-riding-vta
5 https://mst.org/wp-content/media/59.pdf
4 https://www.tamcmonterey.org/monterey-county-rail-extension
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active management of those programs with property management. We can’t continue to rely on
mode shifting without actively managing programs.
Transportation Demand Management Mobility 1.12- Encourage existing and proposed
development to incorporate TDM measures such as car-sharing, transit passes, and
unbundling of parking (requiring separate purchase or lease of a parking space) where
such measures will result in a reduction in vehicle miles traveled, reduction of required
amount of parking or an increase in the use of alternate transportation modes.
Recommended TDM programs to include:
● $100 Annual Auto-Loaded Clipper Card, VTA Passes or VTA’s Smart Pass
https://www.vta.org/go/fares/smartpass (The Smart Pass program allows employers,
developers, educational institutions, management companies or homeowners
associations the ability to purchase VTA transit passes at a bulk discount rate to provide
to employees or residents to encourage transit usage. Smart Passes are good for
unlimited use of VTA Bus and Light Rail services, seven days a week. The program also
includes an “Emergency Ride Home” provision that allows Smart Pass holders to take a
taxi home if they need to leave work in the middle of the day.)
● Expand Outthink’s Project Chrysalis E-Bike Program with the purchase of e-bikes or a
pool of e-bikes for rideshare in a central hub for the project.7
● Provide city bike maps to all residents from management in correspondence.
● Provide routes to major transit connections, parks, schools, shopping, and restaurants.
● Annual presentation to Town Center Flex Area, Canyon Creek, Rocky Knoll, Malvasia II
of current bike/walk/transit options and incentive programs offered by the City of Gilroy
currently funded by the Measure B Education & Encouragement program.
● Encourage Bay Area Air Quality Management District’s and the Metropolitan
Transportation Commission’s (MTC) new post-pandemic compliance option for the
regional Commuter Benefits Program: Telework “Flex Your Work” program. Carpooling,
public transportation, vanpools, bicycling, walking and teleworking are flexible choices
Bay Area employees have when planning daily commutes. Both the new Commuter
Benefits Program Option 5: Telework and the “Flex Your Commute” program will
encourage sustainable commuting options as the Bay Area continues its recovery from
the pandemic and returns to the workplace.
Sincerely,
Gilroy Bicycle Pedestrian Advisory Committee (Gilroy BPAC)
GilroyBPAC@gmail.com
https://www.facebook.com/GilroyBPAC
We are a community group actively embracing, advancing ideas, and projects that promote the concept of
free-range people in Gilroy. We support building projects that are energy resilient and promote the
reduction of greenhouse gasses (GHG). We are seeking your input whether you are a BMX rider, trail
runner, recreational bike rider, MTB rider, walker, and hiker! #GilroyBPAC
7 https://svcleanenergy.org/wp-content/uploads/CityChrysalis_FinalReport_29Mar2022_digital.pdf
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