Open space. In a large part, that
’s a major reason why Morgan Hill is such a nice place to live.
Look at the oak-studded hillsides on both sides of the valley.
Open space.
In a large part, that’s a major reason why Morgan Hill is such a nice place to live. Look at the oak-studded hillsides on both sides of the valley. They’re vibrant green this time of the year. If you look closely, there is an abundance of wildlife – deer, rabbits, birds, snakes and even an occasional mountain lion and skunk. And yes, there are homes, but certainly not wall-to-wall as in some Bay Area locales.
Many residents cite the open space as a key element to the quality of life here.
Rural character. Farmland preservation. Greenbelt. Urban limit lines.
They’re nice but the pricetag for that niceness could well increase in the near future.
The city, in a joint project with Santa Clara County, is in the midst of establishing Urban Limit Lines (ULL) that define the city’s urban limits for the foreseeable future. It would also apply to some areas outside city limits.
The urban limit lines, as currently discussed, would in effect limit development of privately owned properties. There already are limits on how land may be used based on zoning regulations.
The city also is looking at designating some lands, predominantly hillsides, outside the ULL as greenbelt areas that would be constrained from heavy development.
We’re still not sure why the ULL line are even needed. There already are means in place to assure open space, greenbelts and use limits. We have the general plan, the residential growth control ordinance and urban services boundaries. The city in recent decades has exhibited good, consistent planning.
So, do we really need urban limit lines that come with a $225,000 pricetag for consultants? We’re not convinced that this added layer of land-use regulations, even if it is for open space, is the way to go.
City Council will decide at its Wednesday, April 7 meeting, whether to pay ULL consultants to extend their scope of work to include working out an implementation plan for operating the program and, possibly, how to pay for it.
The city awarded a $225,073 contract with consultants Moore Iacofano Goltsman for the entire project with $20,000 set aside for contingencies. Funding for the additional work would come from the contingency account.
How land will be used is certainly within the purview of the city and county. Zoning decisions, use permits, building height limits, and historic building and tree preservation ordinances are among the ways this happens.
About a year ago, the council appointed 17 people representing every group from property owners to environmentalists to the urban limit line advisory committee. The committee’s charge was to draw a reasonable line around the city beyond which the city will not grow and to establish greenbelt or open space areas outside this line in some places.
Currently, uses are limited on much of the land just outside city limits. For instance, there are limits of one home to 20 acres on some parcels. If those lands within county jurisdiction are brought into the city, then their value would likely increase.
The ULL committee has yet to make a recommendation to the council and county supervisors on what parcels might be added to the city boundaries.
For the most part, there has been general agreement on the ULL boundaries. Then the committee started reviewing the area east of U.S. 101 near Tennant Avenue and discovered that several largely flat prime areas would be outside the line and quite possibly within the greenbelt – meaning no serious development depending on final council action.
And at this point, eight months into the process, the question of whether to pay landowners for limiting development has come into play.
And with the city facing tough decisions in the near future on budget cuts, which will result in service reductions and possibly some employee layoffs, Morgan Hill’s city treasury can’t afford to pay.
One avenue the city is exploring is partnering with open space and land preservation agencies.
Alex Kennett, a Morgan Hill resident and member of the Urban Limit Line Advisory Committee as well as South Valley’s elected representative to the Open Space Authority, told reporter Carol Holzgrafe that partnership with the city and/or the county to purchase development rights or property outright is within OSA’s scope of work.
“We are always open to ideas to preserve open space,” Kennett said. But, he cautioned that OSA does not have “deep pockets.”
If the council does place further limits on how land is to be used, landowners will need to be compensated. The most fair way would be to have voters decide if they want to pay through a parcel tax.
Yes, residents said in a 1980 survey that they wanted open space kept free but, in 2004, are they willing to pay for it?
If voters choose not to pay for preserving the land in open space or limiting its use, the ULL concept falls apart. The landowners whose property is being eyed should not have to bear the entire price for all of Morgan Hill to keep this quality of life.
Also, landowners outside the city limits should not expect a guarantee of annexation. And the county should continue its policy of requiring urban uses within city limits, not in unincorporated areas.
To respond to this editorial or comment on this issue, please send or bring letters to Editor, The Morgan Hill Times, 30 E. Third St., Morgan Hill, CA 95037, fax to 779-3886 or email to
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