A ballot initiative to ask Morgan Hill residents to save the
Granada Theater likely will not appear in the November election as
its supporters initially hoped.
A ballot initiative to ask Morgan Hill residents to save the Granada Theater likely will not appear in the November election as its supporters initially hoped.
However, if the measure’s proponents can convince the city council, the body could call a special election to place the question on a future ballot without the signatures required of the citizen nonprofit group who is currently circulating a petition.
Without action by the council, the next scheduled date that a local measure could be put to the voters is the Nov. 2012 election, according to city staff.
Pamala Meador and Stephen Beard, co-founders of the nonprofit Save the Granada foundation and proponents of the ballot measure, said they only fulfilled all the requirements to begin soliciting signatures last week.
That means they probably won’t have time to gain the estimated 1,800 signatures needed, and get them certified by the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters before the Aug. 4 deadline. Meeting that deadline would put the measure – “Measure G” if it shows up – on the Nov. 2 ballot.
The nonprofit’s co-founders said they hope to let the people decide what to do with the theater as soon as possible, as they don’t want to be seen as slowing down the redevelopment process for the property that is already in motion.
The ballot measure, which has been approved by the city attorney and city clerk, would change the language of the Morgan Hill Downtown Specific Plan – the city’s zoning document for the downtown corridor.
Currently, the DSP says the Granada Theater property on the 17400 block of Monterey Road – which the city owns – can be used for future retail, housing and office purposes. The plan leaves open the possibility of using it as a theater or cinema.
If a majority of voters approve the measure, the DSP would change to require preservation of the vacant theater as a “cultural icon” and only allow entertainment as a future use for the Granada.
The ballot measure would specifically prohibit a demolition of the existing Granada Theater.
The current DSP also designates property on the corner of Monterey Road and Second Street – where Royal Clothiers is now – for future use as a multi-screen cinema.
While Save the Granada supports renovating the theater and using it as a combination performing arts facility and cinema, the ballot measure would not delineate that level of detail. The zoning would still allow the theater’s use as a cinema, after it is refurbished for safety and comfort, and would not have a direct impact on who would redevelop the theater.
However, Save the Granada has put together an “ultra-conservative” business plan that would allow a mixed-use entertainment facility to be viable without requiring subsidies from the city or another third party, Beard said. The group has already received seven resumes from people who are interested in managing the theater, and they say they can raise the money needed to renovate the theater for long-term use.
Plus, the nonprofit would share profits made by the theater with the city, Meador said.
“Our desire has never been to run a theater,” Meador said. “This comes from our love of the community, and our love of the town.”
The city is currently in negotiations with Barry Swenson Builder to sell the property to the San Jose company, which plans to redevelop it with a multi-level structure with retail on the ground floor, with about 60 residential units upstairs.
Those negotiations are expected to be completed by the end of this year if the Granada ballot measure does not gain approval, according to City Manager Ed Tewes. However, an approved ballot measure could lengthen that process by up to 90 days.
Although BSB listed a number of structural “deficiencies” in the Granada that would cost at least $5 million to repair for long-term use, Beard said that assumes the construction of a “Taj Mahal.” He said the use envisioned by Save the Granada does not require such a fancy facility.
A local ballot measure in November would cost the city about $50,000, though the actual cost would not be known until after the election, according to Tewes.
The city council, as a potential ballot measure proponent, could submit the foundation’s measure to appear on a ballot without a petition and certification by the county, City Clerk Irma Torrez said. The deadline to do so is Aug. 6.
Or in the future, the council could pass a resolution to submit a ballot measure to Save the Granada for a special election to occur about three months after the resolution is approved. Consolidating local measures on municipal or general election ballots is favorable to standalone elections because the costs can be shared with other jurisdictions, Torrez added.
Absent action by the council, if the nonprofit ballot measure proponents miss their Aug. 4 deadline, they would have to wait until the next scheduled city election in Nov. 2012 to put the question to the voters, Torrez said.
In recent months, the council has repeatedly upheld its current downtown plan to place a cinema at Monterey Road and Second Street, and redevelop the Granada as a mixed-use retail and residential spot.
Copies of the petition to place the measure on the Nov. 2010 ballot are available at Hot Java and the Music Tree in downtown Morgan Hill. Signatures from at least 1,800, or 10 percent of the city’s registered voters are required to certify the ballot.
