Write Lightning is a blog from writer Deb Thompson.
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Everyone is welcome here.
(Some links or topics may not be completely kid-appropriate.)
Mon, Feb 28 2005
Locals (And Their Money) Commute Elsewhere To Work, Shop And Dine
Yesterday was a shopping day spent in the rapidly expanding city of Gilroy, California. Large, flat acreage is being turned into a sea of big box stores and shopping complexes. The town already hosts the famous outlet center at Highway 101 and Leavesley Road. There are almost 150 stores there now, and while you won't find every item a bargain, you can find some great deals if you're willing to take time to look for them.
Though I neglected to note the name of the place, we had a late lunch at a brand new no-frills noodle house with seating planned for growing crowds of shoppers. While we were driving between Lowes and another couple of "big box" stores we noticed the construction of a Mimi's Cafe. We used to frequent one of those in another area. They have comforting and hearty bowls of French Onion Soup and lots of other goodies.
It seems that there is a bit of a push on to put some of those big box stores in the northern part of Monterey County. This area of Santa Cruz County has been doing a lot of building of housing, but they have sadly fallen behind in taking large areas of land to provide space for jobs in factories, offices, retail stores, restaurants and other workplaces. I hope we don't end up with nothing but an affordable housing bedroom community with twenty-four hour traffic as people pass through town to spend their money on other things in other places. Gilroy is building housing, but it's also planning local workplaces for those who will live in those houses. When you have to also factor in things such as mountain ranges, sensitive environmental areas and the obvious boundary of the Pacific Ocean, it's a real challenge for area city planners to find a good balance of homes, workplaces and services.
posted at: 14:16 | category: /Miscellaneous | link to this entry
Yesterday was a shopping day spent in the rapidly expanding city of Gilroy, California. Large, flat acreage is being turned into a sea of big box stores and shopping complexes. The town already hosts the famous outlet center at Highway 101 and Leavesley Road. There are almost 150 stores there now, and while you won't find every item a bargain, you can find some great deals if you're willing to take time to look for them.
Though I neglected to note the name of the place, we had a late lunch at a brand new no-frills noodle house with seating planned for growing crowds of shoppers. While we were driving between Lowes and another couple of "big box" stores we noticed the construction of a Mimi's Cafe. We used to frequent one of those in another area. They have comforting and hearty bowls of French Onion Soup and lots of other goodies.
It seems that there is a bit of a push on to put some of those big box stores in the northern part of Monterey County. This area of Santa Cruz County has been doing a lot of building of housing, but they have sadly fallen behind in taking large areas of land to provide space for jobs in factories, offices, retail stores, restaurants and other workplaces. I hope we don't end up with nothing but an affordable housing bedroom community with twenty-four hour traffic as people pass through town to spend their money on other things in other places. Gilroy is building housing, but it's also planning local workplaces for those who will live in those houses. When you have to also factor in things such as mountain ranges, sensitive environmental areas and the obvious boundary of the Pacific Ocean, it's a real challenge for area city planners to find a good balance of homes, workplaces and services.
posted at: 14:16 | category: /Miscellaneous | link to this entry
