GONZALES — Gonzales City Council meets twice a month to discuss issues that are going on in the city and talk about projects for the future. Some of the projects discussed come to fruition, while others don’t.
Last week at the April 17 meeting, the council was introduced to Resolution 2017-22, a proposed new development that would include a library with meeting rooms and a community space as well as nearby housing.
Alfred Diaz-Infante, president and CEO of Community Housing Improvement Systems and Planning Association, Inc. (CHISPA), and Jayanti Addleman, director of the Monterey County Free Libraries (MCFL), gave a presentation about the development to the council.
There are two city-owned parcels in Gonzales that can be developed. The one that CHISPA and MCFL would like to develop sits on Fifth Street, across from the high school and next to Fairview Middle School. The 3.7-acre site, Gabilan Court, was once the site of an affordable housing complex that was relocated to Fanoe Road by the Housing Authority of Monterey County.
In March 2010, the City of Gonzales and the MCFL system signed a Cooperative Agreement, looking into ways that the library could expand and move to a different site in conjunction to the city developing and building a state-of-the-art community center.
The building would house the library, but it would also hold space for small conference meeting rooms, a community space that could be rented out for parties, training facilities and conferences. At that time the site they were considering was the vacant Gabilan Court.
Since 1980, CHISPA has developed affordable housing throughout Monterey County. The presentation to the council started with Diaz-Infante giving the council some of the history of CHISPA and the developments that they have completed. They were presented with a concept drawing of the Fifth Street location, including the placement of the proposed library and community center.
CHISPA proposes to build five affordable housing structures with eight units each, for a total of 40 housing units. Twenty of those would be two-bedroom apartments, and the other 20 would be three-bedroom units.
The development would have a children’s area and a community building for the residents. In the concept drawing, 1.2 acres of the site would be reserved for the 12,000-square-foot branch library and community center.
The city and the MCFL have discussed the relocation of the library for years. The funding of the building would be the responsibility of the city, while staffing and populating the library would be the responsibility of the MCFL. Traditionally, the funding of a community library is provided by local groups and through fundraising campaigns.
As this resolution was only to receive the report and presentation from the two groups, there has been no go-ahead for the building of the housing. The proposed development is in the early planning stage.
The issue will be returned to the City Council and to the Planning Commission as the plans develop.
