About Downtown Gilroy


Over the years, the Downtown area of Gilroy has struggled to compete with the development of retail and professional business services in other parts of the City. Though currently the Downtown has a foundation of antique shops and specialty retail stores and recent revitalization efforts have attracted many new businesses to the area.

Our Downtown exudes a friendly, small-town atmosphere. The character of this area is derived from the historic buildings of the area; two notable sites are the Old City Hall and the Gilroy Train Depot. The Downtown core has narrow lots with buildings at the street edge, eclectic and varied land uses, and a consistent human scale orientation.

In contrast, the northern and southern peripheral portions of the Downtown area are characterized by larger, self contained parcels that are automobile-oriented in nature.

The western portion of the Downtown area is an area with historical homes that is beginning to transition into a professional office district. These properties are retaining the historic residential character of the area and act as a buffer to the existing residential regions outside of the Downtown. A large collection of civic uses also exists on the western side of the historic Downtown area.