Morgan Hill is simultaneously implementing several major infrastructure and residential projects this summer, investing in flood control, clean energy initiatives and diverse types of new housing across the city.
“There’s definitely more projects than usual going on this summer,” said Chris Ghione, Morgan Hill Assistant City Manager for public services. “No particular reason, except for just the timing of some of our bigger projects happening at once.”
The Upper Llagas Creek Flood Protection Project leads the construction activity, with multiple road closures and detours throughout the city. The $176.2 million Valley Water initiative, which began construction in October, represents one of the largest infrastructure projects Morgan Hill has undertaken in years.
“People don’t realize that this is just one single project,” Ghione said. “It is actually a Valley Water project, but the city is partnered with them and permitting this project. It is probably one of the biggest projects the city has seen in a long time.”
The flood control work involves extending box culverts, constructing weir structures and rebuilding bridges to accommodate a widened creek channel in multiple locations along Llagas Creek. Hale Avenue between Main Avenue and Wright Avenue remains completely closed through September, while portions of Spring Avenue, Cosmo Avenue and Thebes Court face partial or complete closures.
“What they’re doing is they’re rebuilding the bridges over the big channel, because Valley Water is widening that channel,” Ghione explained. “So they have to rebuild those bridges wider so more water can flow through.”
The project addresses flooding that has affected downtown Morgan Hill and surrounding neighborhoods during heavy rains. Areas including Wright Avenue, Main Avenue near the creek, Stony Creek and other neighborhoods north of downtown have experienced severe flooding in past years.
“Certain places in Morgan Hill, especially through the downtown area … experience a lot of flooding,” Ghione said. “They flood whenever we get big rains, and this is going to fix all of that for them.”
More homes, more water
Morgan Hill is also investing $4 million in water infrastructure through the East Dunne Hillside Reservoir Project. The initiative, funded by a California Department of Water Resources grant, will construct an 850,000-gallon water tank on the city’s east side.
“We have some minor traffic control on East Dunne Avenue where we are building a new water reservoir, which is a pretty big project for us,” Ghione said. “It is a combination of growth for the city as well as redundancy for fire protection on that side of town.”
Development projects are also contributing to the flurry of construction activity. Mission View Drive remains closed from Avenida De Los Padres to Half Road through early August as part of the Crosswinds Residential Development project, which involves utility installation and road reconstruction.
Morgan Hill’s sustainability initiative includes installing solar systems at seven municipal facilities: the Civic Center on Peak Avenue, Aquatics Center, police station, corporation yard, Outdoor Sports Center, Community and Cultural Center and Nordstrom Park. Syserco Energy Solutions is handling construction.
The effort is expected to generate substantial financial returns. Officials project $500,000 in annual savings by the second year of operation and $18.6 million in net savings over 30 years.
“The number one thing is, it is going to help the city financially,” Ghione said. “It will be an extreme financial benefit to the city. It is going to save the city a lot of electricity costs associated with ever-increasing PG&E fees.”
New parks, pavement
Other projects include a new park on the southeast corner of Monterey Road and Butterfield Boulevard, which will also feature a BMX track constructed in partnership with USA BMX. The park is projected to be completed by year’s end.
The annual 2025 Pavement Rehabilitation Project will also begin soon, with work planned on Main Avenue from Live Oak High School to Condit Road and neighborhood streets on the city’s west side.
These infrastructure projects coincide with a significant surge in residential development, with more than 800 housing units currently under construction across seven active projects. This represents a substantial step toward Morgan Hill’s goal of 1,037 new housing units by 2031, as laid out in the city’s Housing Element document published in 2023.
Among these residential projects is Borello Ranch Estates, an existing gated community with 243 additional units under construction on Cochrane Road beneath Anderson Dam. Tennant-Ten South is a project consisting of 259 multi-family residential units on an 11.25-acre site at Tennant and Butterfield, while Lillian Commons – Rosewood is a 120-unit project of mixed duets and townhomes.
The Tennant-Ten South project, as well as others still in the approval pipeline have benefited from streamlined approval processes made possible by a provision of SB 330, according to city staff. Known as “Builder’s Remedy,” this provision allows developers to bypass local zoning laws as long as they set aside 20% of their proposed units for low-income housing.
Of the more than 3,000 housing units currently in the city’s development pipeline, Builder’s Remedy projects represent 21% of the total units.
Curious about a construction project near you, but not sure what it is? Check out the interactive map of the city’s ongoing projects at morganhill.ca.gov/1958/Development-Projects.
Calvin Nuttall is a Morgan Hill-based freelance reporter.
