Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Dozens of Gilroy residents attended a community meeting to express concerns about a proposed Amazon data center on a 56-acre site on Arroyo Circle, citing worries about resource use and a lack of community input.
One resident, Georgine Scott-Codiga, said, "What they have done is they shut the people down; the people have no voice. Right now, the way the data was approved was with one signature because the zoning ordinance is old."
City leaders also shared their perspectives on the project.
A councilmember said, "The idea that six meetings with a 15,000-square-foot building going a mile up outside the city is just completely unreasonable in terms of economic development. People will not come and want to put business in Gilroy."
Another city leader emphasized the importance of establishing guidelines for future projects, saying,
"As new projects are proposed, we should establish clear and consistent objectives, design standards that consider community needs, economic development, energy use, environmental impact, public health, and neighborhood quality of life."
In response to the concerns, the city voted to amend the city's zoning ordinance so projects requiring an Environmental Impact Report must first go before the Gilroy Planning Commission.
Dozens of Gilroy residents attended a community meeting to express concerns about a proposed Amazon data center on a 56-acre site on Arroyo Circle, citing worries about resource use and a lack of community input.
One resident, Georgine Scott-Codiga, said, "What they have done is they shut the people down; the people have no voice. Right now, the way the data was approved was with one signature because the zoning ordinance is old."
City leaders also shared their perspectives on the project.
A councilmember said, "The idea that six meetings with a 15,000-square-foot building going a mile up outside the city is just completely unreasonable in terms of economic development. People will not come and want to put business in Gilroy."
Another city leader emphasized the importance of establishing guidelines for future projects, saying,
"As new projects are proposed, we should establish clear and consistent objectives, design standards that consider community needs, economic development, energy use, environmental impact, public health, and neighborhood quality of life."
In response to the concerns, the city voted to amend the city's zoning ordinance so projects requiring an Environmental Impact Report must first go before the Gilroy Planning Commission.
