Planners suggesting changing downtown housing allocation
Morgan Hill – The city council will consider Wednesday whether to accelerate the number of downtown housing units that can be built under the city’s growth control ordinance.
City planners are recommending that housing units originally allocated for fiscal year 2010 be moved up a year or two to foster economic development in the city’s core. They’re asking the council to advance more than 100 housing units to help builders secure financing for their projects.
“For some projects it may not be feasible to spread out [construction] over two or two or three years,” planning manager Jim Rowe said. “Advancing is necessary to complete the projects.”
Under Measure C, which voters approved last year, the city council will approve a set number of new housing units each year to keep Morgan Hill on track to its target population of 48,000 in 2020. The current population is 36,400.
Currently, the city has room for 250 new units a year. Only 120 units are scheduled to be approved in downtown over the next two years. Measure C allows allocations to be moved up as many as three years to facilitate development where it is most needed.
Rowe said that the city has received more high-quality residential development applications than current law allows for and that more downtown building is needed to help local businesses.
“In order to have any economic benefit you need to have a critical mass of 200 or 300 units,” Rowe said. “I think the council would like to see housing at the front end so downtown isn’t a construction zone for several years.”
Also Wednesday, the council will consider:
n New fees for downtown use permits and residential private livestock permits
n Whether to comment on San Jose’s soccer park scheduled for construction on Monterey Highway.
The meeting will be held at 7pm, at city hall.
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