Forthcoming ‘math castle’ raises auto questions
Morgan Hill – Neighbors want the city to do something about the traffic flow on Tennant Avenue east of U.S. 101 before a world-class math center is built near their homes.
“When you cross the street (on Tennant Avenue) you take your life into your hands,” said Julie Borina Driscoll, 55, who owns five acres on the north west corner of Hill Road and Tennant Avenue. “Originally traffic was two or three cars per hour. Now it’s just buzz, buzz, buzz!”
Driscoll, who grew up on the property in the 1960s, isn’t the only one who’s noticed the once quiet, two-lane road become clogged with trucks or San Jose-bound commuters headed toward the freeway.
“There’s definitely been a big increase in traffic,” said Art Puliafico, who owns 40 acres on Tennant Avenue between Hill Road and Murphy Avenue. “It’s mainly because of Tennant being a major thoroughfare for areas between the city and the Holiday Lakes and Jackson Oaks area. It’s the best route to go to Safeway and all the commercial areas there.”
Both residents would like to see Tennant Avenue upgraded with crosswalks and signals before the American Institute of Mathematics (AIM) builds its international conference center near Fry’s golf course. Architectural designs for the center, which will resemble the centuries-old Alhambra palace in Spain, are still being finalized. When complete, the center will be used for conferences for scholars from around the globe.
“(Tennant Avenue) needs to be brought up to Cochrane and Dunne’s level” to accommodate that traffic, Driscoll said, adding she supports the AIM center. “AIM is going to be a global attraction … let’s get the budget to upgrade Tennant now.”
Driscoll was reacting in part to the city’s Industrial Lands and Southeast Quadrant Market Study, which will be presented to the Morgan Hill City Council on Wednesday.
The 52-page report addresses uncertainties dating back two years ago on how much of the area south of San Pedro Avenue and east of U.S. 101 would be needed for future industrial growth. But the study doesn’t address traffic impacts of growth.
In 2005, the city concluded a project that established an urban limit line and established a greenbelt. The south east quadrant is the only area left to be mapped in the project.
Because the market study ties into future annexation and development of properties in the south east quadrant – which is unincorporated and rural today – Driscoll and Puliafico think traffic-impact studies should be undertaken by the city and county.
Former Morgan Hill Community Development Director David Bischoff said the city has no immediate or short-term plans to annex the area. AIM’s traffic impacts, he added, were included in that project’s environmental report.
Congestion from future developments along Tennant Avenue would have to be addressed in subsequent environmental reports for those projects.
“Traffic would be covered both at the time of annexation and approval of developments,” Bischoff said.
Puliafico, who was a member of the citizen advisory committee two years ago that worked with the city on the urban limit line, said he welcomes growth as long as traffic concerns are met with crosswalks and signals.
“It just can’t stay country forever,” he said. “The agriculture in that area is just not viable. Most of the property owners have been there for generations and have parcels less than 40 acres. You need hundreds of acres to make money farming today.”
Tony Burchyns covers Morgan Hill for The Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106 ext. 201 or tb*******@*************es.com.
