History of Glen Loma Ranch | What is the Specific Plan? | What Happens Next? | A Park for Everyone

History of Glen Loma Ranch www.glenlomaranch.com

The land that eventually became Glen Loma Ranch is rich in history. First used as a settlement for the Ohlone Band of Native Americans, it became a place to graze cattle, a source for building materials for Gilroy and a vineyard that produced grapes for a local winery.

Now, with the development of the Glen Loma Ranch community, it has come full circle: Its breathtaking beauty is again drawing people wishing to make their homes here.

The Ohlone Indians were the original inhabitants of the land, having lived in the area for thousands of years. The Spanish arrived in the latter half of the 18th century, and in the early 1800s, the viceroy of New Spain deeded what was to become Glen Loma Ranch to Mariano Castro.

Over the years, portions of Castro’s land were sold off to numerous buyers until Henry Miller, the “Cattle King” of the West Coast, bought many of the parcels and added them to his vast land holdings. But there had been confusion in the sales of the land – some portions had been sold to more than one buyer; some parcels overlapped each other. The result was Miller and other landowners became embroiled in an eight-year-long lawsuit that set a precedent for land title laws in California before it all got ironed out.

The land also played a central role in the formation of Gilroy. As the city grew up to the east of Glen Loma Ranch, civic leaders decided to construct a government center worthy of the burgeoning city. They decided on a site for this new city hall – the corner of Fifth and Monterey streets downtown – and a design – the “Flemish baroque” style.

Then they decided to get their building materials from Glen Loma Ranch. The limestone used to construct the building in 1905 was quarried from Indian Camp on the ranch and hauled downtown, where it became a permanent part of the heart of Gilroy and of its most important building.

The Filice family acquired the land in 1941 and owns it to this day. After the repeal of Prohibition, the family planted the land with a variety of grapes that they used to supply their San Martin Winery, which operated for 40 years. It was, at one point, the largest vineyard in the Santa Clara Valley.

They also planted the land with olive groves and pears, cherries, prunes and walnuts. It was – and still is – fertile land that supported a variety of plant and animal life: Salmon could be found in Uvas Creek, which runs along the property, and hunters used to come to Glen Loma Ranch in pursuit of quail, rabbit, deer, doves and wild turkey.

Glen Loma Ranch supported not just wildlife, but the homes of the people of Gilroy as well. Uvas Creek was a major source of gravel for the town from the 1920s until the late 1970s, and the toyon berries that grew plentifully could be found at Christmastime adorning homes in town. During the holidays, people from Gilroy would run over and cut the bushes to use as decorations. That’s how Christmas Hill Park, which is adjacent to Glen Loma Ranch, got its name.

Glen Loma Ranch has been an integral part of the community for hundreds of years, and we are working to continue that role. By listening to what the community has to suggest, and by being part of the community ourselves, we are striving to ensure Glen Loma Ranch is in keeping with decades of tradition.

INFORMATION: What is a specific plan?

Community input has been extremely important throughout the planning stages for Glen Loma Ranch. We care about the area we live in, and we wanted to make sure that our plan for Glen Loma Ranch was consistent with Gilroy’s plan for its own growth. To do that, we took the unprecedented step of developing a specific plan for Glen Loma Ranch.

What does that mean? Well, a specific plan is a tool to give city officials and the community more detail about what’s in store for an area. It has more information than a General Plan, which the city sets for itself and which sets aside certain parcels of land for industrial, retail, residential and other uses. But it’s not quite as detailed as individual development projects, which, for example, would set forth the number of homes for a project, their sizes, specific dates for construction and the layout of streets through the new neighborhoods.

Our specific plan gives standards for development, shows how we were going to use all the land – whether for parks, open space, homes, streets, etc. – and shows how we would support the new uses for Glen Loma Ranch that we had planned.

But before we even started that, we held a series of meetings so we could find out what the community would like to see. It was important that our plan remain in keeping with the city’s General Plan, but it was also important that our neighbors get a chance to give input into the specific plan and to let us know what they had in mind for Glen Loma Ranch. Their suggestions became one of the guiding forces for the specific plan and, ultimately, for Glen Loma Ranch.

UPDATE: What happens next?

We’ve been hard at work getting things started on Glen Loma Ranch. We’ve hired a well-established architect to design the first park, and we’re also looking for a builder for that first neighborhood, Vista Bella. Finding a builder means finding someone whose style of building fits with the style of Glen Loma Ranch, someone who understands the importance of preserving the natural environment and conveying that feel to the homes, while at the same time constructing homes that stand out for their beauty and comfort.

It’s not an easy task, and we’re very serious about finding the perfect builder. Once we have someone on board, we can work out some more specifics about Vista Bella.

HIGHLIGHT: A park for everyone

Glen Loma Group will donate two new parks to the City of Gilroy as the building of Glen Loma Ranch progresses, and the design process for the first park is just getting under way.

The parks are a gift to the city and will be constructed in addition to the payment of city park fees. Everyone will be able to enjoy a picnic with the family, play a little softball, or just relax with a book under a tree.

Construction on the parks will begin when building on the new neighborhoods near them begins. That way, each park will be completed when Glen Loma Ranch homeowners are ready to move into the adjacent neighborhood. The first park is slated to be built in 2008.