Dear Red Phone,
It looks like some work is finally taking place at the old South Valley Bikes shop in downtown. Any idea what the plans are for that building?
Mum’s the word from property owner and restaurateur Dan McCranie, who declined to reveal any details about the future of the former South Valley Bikes building, 17395 Monterey Road (at the corner of Second Street). The work you have seen is likely in preparation for demolition of the building, which McCranie confirmed will be happening soon. Other than that, he didn’t offer any information about what will end up on the site in place of the South Valley Bikes building, which has sat empty for several years.
McCranie, co-owner of Ladera Grill restaurant just a few doors south, purchased the SV Bikes building in 2012—with his wife and son—for about $700,000. At that time, he said he would eventually build something on the property that adheres to the City of Morgan Hill Downtown Specific Plan, a long-term blueprint to improve the downtown area with focused land-use and zoning regulations.
South Valley Bikes has been closed for several years, and has sat mostly vacant since that time, except for temporary uses by political candidates and organizations.
Morgan Hill Community Development Director Andrew Crabtree said the property owner has indicated he intends to demolish the building as soon as the 15-day notification period is over. A notice of the coming demolition, posted in the front window of the shop, displays a posting date of Jan. 27.
Dear Red Phone,
As the new downtown is shaping up to be very beautiful, I wonder why there seem to be so many electrical outlets in the new Monterey Road “streetscape” median? I understand these facilities will be used for vendors, car show participants and others who participate in downtown events, but do they really need all those outlets rather than just a few outlets with extension cords? Also, will the new outlets and vegetation in the median prevent residents and visitors from setting up chairs and picnics in the median for the annual Fourth of July parade?
City of Morgan Hill Project Manager Julie Behzad said the new streetscape includes a total of 125 electrical outlets in the median of Monterey Road, at a total cost of about $100,000. The outlets are spaced 20 to 40 feet apart. The amount of outlets was determined through discussions with event organizers for all of Morgan Hill’s major downtown annual events, Behzad said.
“The city learned that the event organizers wanted as many outlets as possible in the median to eliminate the need for extension cords,” Behzad explained.
Annual downtown events—which bring dozens of vendors to the downtown streets—likely to make use of the electrical outlets include the Taste of Morgan Hill, the British Fall Classic and the Mushroom Mardi Gras.
She added that the new outlets and landscaping will not inherently prohibit residents and spectators from setting up chairs in the Monterey Road median in anticipation of the annual Fourth of July parade, “but extra care will need to be used.”
The Monterey Road streetscape is one of many downtown construction projects that started last summer, collectively known as the city’s “downtown placemaking investment strategy.” The total cost of the new downtown—which includes the Fourth Street Garage, side street improvements, utility undergrounding and other efforts—is about $25 million, funded by leftover Redevelopment Agency bond proceeds. The cost for the Monterey Road streetscape portion of the strategy is about $2.1 million, and includes electrical and irrigation upgrades, as well as new vegetation, planter boxes and other aesthetic improvements.
