Dear Editor, While I recognize the City of Morgan Hill
’s need to sustain revenue levels, the development of an auto
mall complex immediately adjacent to a residential neighborhood is
not the answer.
Dear Editor,
While I recognize the City of Morgan Hill’s need to sustain revenue levels, the development of an auto mall complex immediately adjacent to a residential neighborhood is not the answer.
The adjacent neighborhood is a conclave of hundreds of homes whose residents take pride in their property and in their community. I am a resident of that neighborhood and I support the Citizens for Responsible Development in opposing the Dunne Auto Mall Complex which backs directly to residential property lines. I am opposed to new street(s) from Dunne Avenue directly into the neighborhood and the possibility that longtime Morgan Hill property owners would lose their properties to eminent domain, I am opposed to the city’s intent to amend the city’s general plan zoning designations from R-2 low density to commercial, an amendment necessary to facilitate the auto mall development.
Additional auto dealerships would bring more noise, more bright lights, exposure to hazardous materials kept on dealership properties, more pollution. The new street(s) would bring increased traffic into the neighborhood, including but not limited to “test-drive” traffic that increases the risk to neighborhood children and seniors.
The city’s website (apparently last updated on October 4, 2004) describes Morgan Hill as the last community in the area with a charming, small-town atmosphere and as a semi-rural setting with a high quality of life. Does a small-town atmosphere include an auto mall complex on the other side of a residential fence? Does a high quality of life include the noise and lights from the other side of a residential fence? Does high quality of life include the exposure to hazardous materials stored on dealership sites? Does small-town atmosphere include the use of neighborhood streets as an auto test-drive route?
The mayor and city council were elected by the people to serve the residents of Morgan Hill; the city officials have the duty and responsibility to fairly serve all the residents of Morgan Hill. These officials need to start showing the intelligence, integrity and patience to plan long term. There are always short-term advantages and disadvantages; but it is more important to know and understand the long-term ramifications of the decisions made which affect the populace and future of Morgan Hill. Economic growth and quality growth are not mutually exclusive.
Carol Palestro, Morgan Hill
