Greenbelt Alliance’s goals for smart growth and open space protection won a resounding victory when the citizens of Gilroy enacted their first voter-protected urban growth boundary.
The people voted Yes on Measure H by nearly two-thirds despite the lack of any support on the City Council; a lesson given by the voters in support of conservation. This campaign modeled partnership between local environmental volunteer leadership and the professional support that Greenbelt Alliance provided.
The local leadership came from Gilroy Growing Smarter (GGS), a group of committed Gilroyans ranging from farmers to business owners, to former elected officials. GGS designed the initiative and led the local campaign while Greenbelt Alliance (working in close partnership with Committee for Green Foothills) provided technical advice and other support during their campaign. Together, Gilroyans and Greenbelt Alliance knocked on doors to talk to residents about the vision for the future of Gilroy, resulting in enough signatures to develop a petition into a ballot measure, and the eventual passage of Measure H.
While the urban growth boundary is a big win for the Gilroy community, we still have work to do to prevent sprawl and ensure that future development occurs in the right places.
We are currently monitoring the following projects in Gilroy:
- The development of High-Speed Rail Plans and the location of the station.
- The revitalization of downtown.
- Defending the urban growth boundary against any future challenges.
Contact Kiyomi Yamamoto for more information.
Photo: Melissa Kester via Flickr
