Dear Members of the Gilroy City Council,

We request that you approve the application for the 315 Las Animas Ave. development project that will add 501 units of housing for our neighbors who desperately need it.

TenSouth’s proposed project will greatly improve the area around our homes, adding sidewalks and lighting on the streets, and developing park space that is accessible to the residents and their children. Many of our families share their home with two or three generations. It is essential that we have outdoor recreational spaces nearby. We would welcome the developed open space included in the proposal with paths for bicycling and dog walking. And, of course, we would also welcome the opportunity to rent the beautiful new homes provided by the project.

Because of long-term disregard by Gilroy leadership, our neighborhood has been neglected and under-resourced. Don’t let this opportunity to enliven and develop our long-ignored corner of Gilroy turn into a costly and futile legal battle that we will surely lose.

It is unconscionable that you would turn away desperately needed housing for low and moderate income Gilroy residents, and forego the opportunity to noticeably improve the street and neighborhood for the existing residents in the Las Animas and Murray area. The Gilroy Dispatch article on July 18th pointed out that a lawsuit could cost the City $25 million in legal fees and fines. Taking on this legal risk while at the same time seeking to INCREASE SALES TAXES ON US to pay for basic emergency services is insulting. How can you tell the residents of Gilroy that the City can’t afford to pay for our Fire Department, while at the same time knowingly exposing the City to needless litigation that can cost the taxpayers of Gilroy $25 million?

Mayor Marie Blankley has continued to claim that the property at Las Animas and Murray Avenue is zoned for light industrial use that the City of Gilroy needs for economic growth. This is not true. We live in homes that have been here for decades, long before the City decided to zone the area for commercial uses. We welcome the inclusion of a rental property full of new housing and first-class amenities that will include below market units for Gilroy residents who are most in need; teachers, firefighters, healthcare workers—those who are being pushed out of their homes by high housing costs due to the City’s unwillingness to approve the development of new housing.