Inching closer to approval, the Measure P updates went before
the City Council Wednesday night. Council indicated that it was
largely content with the measure
’s amendments but continued the decision to Nov. 19.
Inching closer to approval, the Measure P updates went before the City Council Wednesday night. Council indicated that it was largely content with the measure’s amendments but continued the decision to Nov. 19.
Council and the public also got a first look at how the initiative will appear on the March 2004 ballot.
Measure P is the 1990 voter-approved residential growth-control ordinance mandating that the city will not grow larger than 38,800 by 2010. Developers compete to earn points that, in turn, can lead to housing starts. The point is to limit sprawl and retain the semi-rural quality of life in Morgan Hill.
A special committee, drawn from a range of citizens, worked for more than a year to update the measure. The intention was to allow the city to meet its state-required obligations for affordable housing and to improve the measure’s efficiency. The amended measure raises the population to 48,000 by 2020, agreeing with the general plan’s idea of how large the city should grow by that time.
That growth rate, would allow between 200 and 230 housing units to be built each year, said David Bischoff, director of the city’s Community Development Department.
The only matter of contention was over the intention of the council to hear the bulk of appeals from developers who did not score high enough in the competition to receive housing starts.
Ralph Lyle, a Measure P Update Committee member and an early proponent of growth control, told the council he disagreed that they should hear appeals.
“I can no longer support update,” Lyle told the council.
Dick Oliver, a developer also on the committee, agreed that asking council to get deeply involved with the appeal process would not only be politicizing what should not be political but would mire the council unmercifully.
“I think it’s a sad mistake to do that,” Oliver said. “The City Council will have to hear all appeals and it will become political. It will be such a quagmire for council to hear appeals of every project.”
Developer Rocke Garcia agreed.
“I can assure you that everybody in the competition will appeal,” Garcia said.
Council said when it first discussed amending Measure P that the initiative must be “approvable” by the voters. Committee members’ support would be a significant part of an effort to educate the voters about the initiative.
“Shall a measure be adopted to amend the General Plan and Municipal Code … to update Measure P which governs the City’s Residential Development Control System (RDSC), to extend the expiration date of the RDCS to the year 2020, increase the population ceiling to 48,000 for the year 2020 consistent with the 2001 General Plan, and refine certain policies of the RDCS to encourage downtown development, address difficulties in implementation of the allotment system, and comply with state legal requirements?
Council changed “downtown development” to “more centric, transit-oriented development” and added a preamble to clarify the measure’s history.
