Questions on Great Wolf Lodge's Application to the City: GGS Letter to the Editor of the Dispatch

Editor,
Gilroy Growing Smarter has concerns that we want to see publicly addressed before the City agrees to pursue Great Wolf next to Gilroy Gardens. It needs to add to our quality of life.
 
1.  Will Great Wolf provide a rendering showing the size and appearance of the building at the Gilroy Gardens site?  Since they want at least 500 rooms and five (or six) stories tall on 35 acres we should know what that looks like!  Consider the public uproar about the size, height and traffic impacts of the Alexander Place apartments.  Great Wolf will be bigger, almost as large as the Gardens themselves.

2.  What financial incentives will Gilroy provide and how much will they cost the city?  How will the City pay for these incentives?  How long will it take to recover Gilroy’s investment?

3. What are the revenue projections for Gilroy and how long will it take to “ramp up” before they reach the full potential? Overly rosy projections and badly negotiated concessions could be a financial disaster for Gilroy.

4. How much water will Great Wolf need to run both the hotel and the water park?  How much sewer capacity?  When we have another drought will they accept restricted water use?

5. What will be the traffic impact on First St. and two lane Hecker Pass?

6. Will Great Wolf commit to Gilroy residents having the same amount of free or reduced price access as they have at Gilroy Gardens? Will Great Wolf complement or compete with Gilroy Gardens?
 
7.   Are they willing to use high quality rustic, natural materials that will blend in with our scenic corridor aesthetically?.

8.  Will any of the revenue from Great Wolf be earmarked to carry out the the Downtown Specific Plan?
 
The citizens of Gilroy are tired of mediocre projects that we have seen so far in Gilroy.  It is time for the City of Gilroy to leverage our sought-after crossroads location and our natural beauty to obtain higher quality, especially in commercial developments.

Gilroy Growing Smarter Core Group, Sept. 24, 2017