Drivers will be able to buy their Mustangs and Expeditions in
Morgan Hill in future, since a City Council action has paved the
way for a
“Ford Store” to come to town. At Wednesday night’s rather
contentious meeting that stretched to 12:30 a.m., after several
hours of hearing from upset Nordstrom Park/Murphy Avenue area
residents who object to the dealership locating near their
neighborhood, and from Ford people and city staffer
s touting the store’s sales tax boon, council voted 4-1 to
change the zoning to accommodate a car dealership.
Drivers will be able to buy their Mustangs and Expeditions in Morgan Hill in future, since a City Council action has paved the way for a “Ford Store” to come to town.
At Wednesday night’s rather contentious meeting that stretched to 12:30 a.m., after several hours of hearing from upset Nordstrom Park/Murphy Avenue area residents who object to the dealership locating near their neighborhood, and from Ford people and city staffers touting the store’s sales tax boon, council voted 4-1 to change the zoning to accommodate a car dealership.
But not before a few insults were hurled toward the dais and Counciwoman Hedy Chang accused her colleagues of ostracizing her.
Council chambers were filled, mostly, with anti-Ford residents; many said they felt the council, except for Chang, was not heeding their distress.
Neighbor Sandy Fairband brought her small daughter, who was quickly running out of patience – to the podium and addressed Mayor Dennis Kennedy.
“Are you listening to us?” she asked. She quoted from Kennedy’s letter to the courts about why Morgan Hill is an unsuitable release site for a sexual predator – that the town is a small, child-oriented place that protects its children.
“You are not up to par to do your job if you face the challenge from a child molester but not a challenge from an auto dealership that will result in disaster,” Fairband said. She included among her remarks, a word most mothers do not allow their children to use.
Most of the other neighbors were equally concerned but more polite.
The discussion revolves around two essential points, plus a new wrinkle. The council – Kennedy and Councilmen Larry Ford, Greg Sellers and Steve Tate – views the Ford dealership as a good revenue source and, with the mitigations required for the project, having a minimum impact on the adjacent community’s environment and safety.
They stress the importance of sales taxes in this time of recurring deficits and the specter of the state latching onto more city money. They point out that sales taxes go into the general fund that pays for police, fire protection, park maintenance and recreation problems – uses that hardly anyone quibbles with.
The residents – and Chang – deny the mitigations on noise, lights, parking and test drives will have the intended effect and brought their own facts and examples.
Attorney Bruce Tichinin who represents Scott Lynch of Bob Lynch Ford in Gilroy – who objects to Ford Motor Company locating a competing store so near – differed.
“The mitigated negative declaration just isn’t supported by the evidence,” Tichinin said. “You can’t expect more than $100,000 a year in revenues.” Compared to the loss of quality of life for the neighbors, he said, “The detriment outweighs the benefits.”
The new wrinkle appeared June 10 when Kennedy promised Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage during a land use hearing that the city would not allow more auto dealers in the northeast quadrant of East Dunne Avenue and Hwy. 101 – a site the council had previously thought suitable for three or four.
Since council has operated under the premise that dealerships prefer to “cluster” together, the anti-Fords suggested that the new car dealership might be happier elsewhere – perhaps at Cochrane Road, perhaps west of Hwy 101 at East Dunne where there are fewer houses.
Kennedy’s promise to Gage, which was approved 4-1, with Chang voting no, will require the council to revisit its “auto dealership strategy”. A workshop to that effect will be held Wednesday, July 2.
Marketing manager for Ford Motor Co, Ted Mengiste told the council that, while dealerships often cluster, some do well that way and some do not.
Clustering is “beneficial but it’s not essential – it’s not a dealbreaker,” Mengiste said.
Other potential sites mentioned for future dealerships include land south of the former Kmart building, land adjacent to South County Chevrolet and a plot west of the freeway at Tennant.
MITIGATIONS
Test drives must have prescribed routes – to satisfy insurance companies and the city – restricted entirely from Murphy Avenue, on Condit south of East Dunne and north of East Main avenues. No drives will be allowed east of Condit Road on East Main Avenue. Neighbors promised to watch and report offenders.
Planning Manager Jim Rowe explained that a survey of South County Chevrolet and the San Leandro Ford dealership – operated by Tim Paulus who will operate the Morgan Hill store – have had no test drive-related accidents.
Tichinin told of an incident reported by a police sergeant of a fatal test drive where a Ford Mustang was driven at 80 mph in a 35 mph area, similar to East Dunne Avenue, he said.
Noise is restricted to 60 db, lights must be shielded from the surrounding community and will be studied by the city, and all parking – employee and customer – must be on site, not on Condit Road.
Sellers restricted the flagpole height to 30 feet and wants shrubs at a significant height – 3-5 feet.
Carr wanted a further set back at the site to accommodate the possibility of Condit Road being widened into a four lane arterial – instead of Murphy Avenue, which is currently slated for widening – another bone of contention for Murphy area residents. Rowe said that the set back would only be needed on the east side of the street, not Ford’s west side.
And, he said, neither street would be turned into a four lane road for 15 -20 years.
Daily traffic trips were estimated at 1,126 for weekdays and 631 on Saturdays – far lower, Rowe said, than other approved uses of the site.
After the presentations and residents spoke, the council weighed in. Kennedy defended himself first against the allegation that he was ignoring the residents’ needs.
“Just because I don’t agree with comments doesn’t mean I don’t listen.” He said he was personally offended by some comments. “I must look at what’s best for all the citizens. I was mayor (in the early 1990s) when, because of low revenues and a huge deficit, the city laid off one-third of the firefighters and one-half the police force.
“I vowed not to go through that again,” he said. “If we turn away business we’ll get the reputation of being business-unfriendly and that is very, very hard to overcome.”
There is the difference between the planned fixes (mitigations) and the reality and this is where the two groups diverge.
“There is a difference between making a promise and performing it,” Tichinin said.
Ford is making promises. Craig Ahlstrom, who will own the store, said Ford can work for the community.
“We are here to be good neighbors,” he said. “I plan on living here – and enforcing those test drive routes.”
COUNCIL TROUBLE
Chang was visibly upset during the Ford discussion over the perception – hers and the neighbors – that the other council members have been too hard on her because her views differed from theirs.
“This has been a difficult process because of some of the things said,” Chang said, indicating trouble between council members. After the vote was taken and she appeared to be in tears, Chang said she didn’t want everyone to think it was because she lost the vote and she thanked the neighbors for their support.
During the break Chang said that the others, especially Sellers and Carr, were refusing to speak to her because of her views. She did not return for the rest of the meeting.
“I didn’t want to show my tears,” she said Thursday. “I went off to put my feelings together.”
Kennedy said on Thursday that he was concerned that Chang felt that way.
“It’s certainly not the case with me,” he said. “I try to be fair and equitable to all council members. My goal, as well as the council’s goal is to try to work together as a team.” He did admit that the Ford issue has created some “hard feelings.
Both Sellers and Carr denied her allegations. Carr said he hadn’t had a chance to speak to her because he only arrived just before the meeting. “But I sympathize with her concerns,” he said.
Sellers said during the meeting that he had the utmost respect for his colleagues, including Chang and apologized .
“She’s respected and a successful real estate agent with much useful experience,” he said. Thursday he said the council has “crossed the line in terms of how we deal with each other. We’ve avoided allowing animosities to take control but lately we found we’re getting close to that and we didn’t want that to happen.” Sellers said he has considered the matter.
“No one issue is more important than getting on together and conducting the public’s business.” Sellers said.
Because the meeting lasted until after midnight, several agenda items were postponed, including discussion of a proposed development of a medical office building, a fast food restaurant and gas station at Tennant Avenue and Hwy. 101.
