Dear Editor,
As a longtime Morgan Hill resident whose property lies within the tax assessment district of our RDA, I and many others would like to see these remaining RDA funds be spent to benefit the entire community. Your final proposal has to have appeal for final approval by the RDA Oversight Committee representing the local school district, community college, water district and county.
Rather than your current plan, which calls for a complete redesign of downtown, please consider a plan which can benefit both downtown, and the other 99 percent of the community with improved appeal for the Oversight Committee’s approval.
- Allocation for the Hale Avenue extenstion, which will provide improved access for the public and could be a major factor in the event of a local disaster. It helps with the traffic congestion on the west side of town.
For the Downtown, it allows more citizens, especially on the west side to walk/cycle to downtown businesses and community events without tying up valuable parking space. Hale Avenue extension will also help solve a current problem of too much through traffic on Monterey Road by drawing off much of this traffic. It gives fire and police another route than downtown Monterey Road to get across town.
- Alocation for the extension of north Butterfield Boulevard, which will provide Butterfield Boulevard a complete north/south route, a needed alternative to Monterey Road.
For the downtown, much of the morning and midafternoon traffic on Monterey Road are students of Sobrato High School. The morning traffic tends to be at higher speeds as these kids need to get to school on time. Having this Butterfield Boulevard extension will draw most of this traffic making downtown safer.
Added bonus is tourism coupled with the completion of Butterfield Boulevard’s southern extension to Watsonville Road, Morgan Hill will have a broader access to the great local wineries off Watsonville Road. The Chamber of Commerce literature can point out that that local wineries can be accessed from all three U.S. 101 off ramps to Butterfield Boulevard with signs pointing to downtown at major access points.
- Spend the balance of RDA funds on improving downtown. We are spending money downtown for architectural appeal. This puts us in competition with Los Gatos, Saratoga and Santana Row. Let’s face it, we cannot compete against the likes of Santana Row for out-of-town shoppers. I would suggest we spend the remaining funds to attract/aid local businesses to improve content (things to buy) to elevate downtown shopping appeal. This is nowhere as costly as a complete redesign of downtown.
– Allow BookSmart to encompass its expansion needs. This store can become more upscale and broaden its appeal.
– Why are we trying to revive the Granada Theater as a movie theater? We have no takers to run it as a theater. Why not encourage a 1950s themed restaurant? Roy’s Station in San Jose used to be a gas station. It has turned into a thriving Roy’s Station coffee shop.
– Gourmet cooking is all the rage. Why not attract an upscale gourmet cookery store to offer the latest in cookery utensils, exotic spices and foods, cheese tastings, and wine shop as Stone Creek Kitchen in Royal Oaks currently does. Great regional appeal.
– Having a wine shop which has a high degree of its inventory devoted to wines from Morgan Hill/South County area. Star Market of Salinas does this with Monterey County wineries. The wineries let their tasting room visitors know that Star Market carries their wines.
– Encourage an outdoor sporting goods retailer offering camping, hiking, skiing, fitness, running, travel and cycling items along with appropriate gear, foot ware, and clothing much like a miniature REI store. This meets needs and could have regional shopping appeal.
Expenditures as suggested would directly benefit downtown while providing benefits for the entire community. In addition, these proposals would help alleviate current problems now facing downtown. This plan will have a much improved appeal to the Oversight Committee over the current City Council plan to spend all $19.3 million of the remaining RDA funds on downtown renovations.
However, you, the City Council, must first take these ideals as a formal proposal in order to make it all happen. I would urge all those reading this to express support of this plan by contacting City Council via City Clerk Michelle Wilson at Mi*************@mo********.gov. She will forward your message to the council members. Please do your part! Urge them to take action now as decisions regarding all of California’s remaining RDA funds will have to be finalized soon. Without a proposal to benefit the other 99 percent of Morgan Hill, approval by the RDA Oversight Committee is less likely. Our Community would then lose, forever, all access to the funds which could have benefitted us all.
John Hatakyama, Morgan Hill
