The Morgan Hill Planning Commission’s review of conceptual plans for a major industrial project Oct. 15 filled the council chambers with residents decrying the plans.
In a meeting that lasted four hours, nearly 30 people spoke against Trammell Crow Company’s proposal for three separate buildings totaling more than 1 million square feet of industrial and commercial space.
During the public comment period, with nearly all of the speakers saying they lived in Morgan Hill, residents expressed concern over the amount of traffic the project could generate, and said the plans resembled a distribution plant. Despite assurances from the developer that the proposal was not a distribution plant, which prompted jeers from the audience, one speaker turned toward company representatives and asked them, “How stupid do you think we are?”
Commission chair Juan Miguel Munoz Morris had to repeatedly remind the audience to show respect throughout the meeting.
“I don’t want this to become a public lynching of the applicant,” he said. “Please, let’s just all follow the rules and have a civil discourse.”
The project, called the Morgan Hill Technology Park, is located adjacent to De Paul Health Center, just off the intersection of Cochrane Road and De Paul Drive.
Plans submitted to the city show three buildings, at 191,160 square feet, 320,340 square feet and 533,220 square feet.
Building heights range from 36 to 41 feet. Two of the buildings show a proposed cell structure on the roof that could add 50 feet.
The developer is also seeking a rezone of the majority of the land for industrial use.
A decision on the project will not be made anytime soon, as the Oct. 15 meeting was only a preliminary review of the plans. A draft environmental impact report is expected to be released for public review in December.
Morgan Hill Development Services Director Jennifer Carman said the plans show space for up to 10 tenants across the project.
Will Parker, principal of Trammell Crow’s Northern California Business Unit, said there are currently no tenants for the project. However, based on other projects the company has completed of similar size, Parker said the center could provide 1,000 jobs as well as $100 million in annual salaries and wages. It is also expected to provide the city with $13 million in one-time fees, and $700,000 in annual general fund revenue.
Plans show a total of 734 parking stalls, as well as 192 loading bays, which have led opponents to believe it will pave the way for a large-scale distribution center on the property.
But Parker said the population numbers of Morgan Hill do not support a distribution market. Rather, the center will focus on advanced manufacturing industries such as aerospace, semiconductors, communications equipment and more, according to Parker.
“That is a picture of what we are trying to do and what the market is,” he said.
Parker was joined by other Trammell Crow representatives, saying they were there to digest input from the public and commission.
“All of us are here to listen,” he said.
All members of the public who spoke during the nearly two-hour public comment period were against the proposal. The commission also received a handful of letters from opponents.
Carol Coursey of Morgan Hill said the developer didn’t seem to take into account the potential impacts the project would have on the senior community of Westmont, which is located adjacent to the property.
“They didn’t talk about human beings,” she said. “It’s all about business. I don’t hear how this is going to help people who live here.”
Rick Kent, CFO of Morgan Hill-based Paramit, which manufactures medical equipment, said the company has four docks for its roughly 150,000-square-foot facility. He questioned the need for the proposed center’s nearly 200 docks.
“Paramit supports economic development and high-paying jobs,” said Kent, who lives in Mission Ranch near the proposed project. “It does not support a truck stop and low-paying jobs that will likely be a highly-automated distribution center.”
Because the meeting stretched past 11 p.m., the commission voted to continue its discussion to its next meeting on Oct. 22, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the city council chambers at 17555 Peak Ave.
Selfish residents. There is a great need for big business in the southern part of Santa Clara County to help alleviate the ongoing and increasingly worse commute traffic situation. Which I might add, is partly due to the ongoing and increasingly worse traffic coming out of Morgan Hill (and Gilroy).
Trammell Crow representatives have cited pie in the sky un-realestic numbers trying to hoodwink the unaware citizens. Don’t be fooled. Check the real facts and review the WRITTEN Trammell Crow proposal.
Trammell Crow and those who appear to be in favor of this HUGE development want the biggest bang they can get for the buck, They will charm and mislead trying to get this project past our eager for tax $$, city leaders.
Trammell Crow is trying to change our city…. forever.. If you live here or use 101 ! BEWARE !
Could you please detail how THIS project addresses any of that?
Under threat is the vision and mission of our city. The fight is not against development, it’s against the wrong kind of development. Let’s keep Morgan Hill the Southern Jewel of the Bay Area.