A new car dealership may not have materialized, but city leaders
accomplished the majority of the six goals that they determined in
February to meet in the latter part of 2007.
MORGAN HILL
A new car dealership may not have materialized, but city leaders accomplished the majority of the six goals that they determined in February to meet in the latter part of 2007.
Among the goals included in this last and final evaluation period are a November workshop to discuss housing and development and evaluating the finances of the city’s Recreation and Community Services Department with four new centers that are struggling to be self-sustaining and a department budget that’s $200,000 in the red.
The goals are included in a report card running along with this story for reader and public evaluation. The newspaper’s review of the Morgan Hill City Council’s and City Manager Ed Tewes’ goals this year are part of the Editorial Board’s “Accountability in Community Leadership Project,” launched this past spring to hold school and city officials accountable to the voters for projects they said they would complete this year.
Other goals up for public grading this time include review of the city’s 2008 General Plan land-use and circulation elements, evaluation of fire and emergency service levels, attracting one or more auto dealership to the area north of the Ford Store along Condit Road, getting commitments and agreements from private owners and developers to revamp Third Street, and holding a joint City Council-Planning Commission workshop to go over housing and “green” policies.
The council completed four of the six goals. The incomplete two include failing to attract another auto dealership and making only partial progress towards Third Street developments. The city wasn’t able to lure an auto dealer to set up shop because of unfavorable market conditions, said councilman Greg Sellers. The dealership would produce sales tax revenue for the city.
“It will be more prudent to try to wait for the market to catch up,” Sellers said. “We’re confident we’ll put it together.”
Several months ago, the council authorized Tewes to proceed with transportation and land use workplans that will be included in the review of the city’s General Plan in 2008.
The circulation directive calls for hiring a consultant to study the city’s current traffic circulation to enable Tewes and staff to make recommendations about improvements. On the land-use side, the council on Wednesday discussed a plan presented by Community Development Director Kathy Molloy-Previsich that included a detailed timeline for studying possible sports and recreation uses in the city’s so-called “southeast quadrant,” comprised of thousands of acres of private agricultural land just outside the city’s eastern limits.
“I’d say we’re right on target with those,” said Tewes, who helped the council outline the goals during a retreat in January. “Our homework was done on time and we’ve turned in some extra credit.”
While deals are still being discussed for the development of Third Street as an outdoor, pedestrian-friendly promenade, the council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, took a major step Wednesday in acquiring the Granada Theater, Downtown Mall and several other properties in downtown. At Tewes’ request, the council also approved creating a management position with an annual salary range between $109,000 and $132,000, to oversee the redevelopment efforts, which are projected to take place over five years.
“The goal is not to supplant the private sector but to spur private investment,” Sellers said. “In terms of Third Street … all the parties involved appear interested.”
Sellers said the council has received commitments from a developer to build out the south side of Third Street between Monterey and Depot streets to include retail. The city hopes to secure a potential developer through a “request for proposal” on the north side of the street, he said.
The council didn’t reach its goal of evaluating fire and public safety levels and making recommendations by the year’s end. However, two sub-committees, the Financial Policy and the Public Safety and Community Services committees, have been making progress in meetings held in the past several months. The Financial Policy committee, comprised of council members Mark Grzan and Marby Lee, was scheduled to meet this Saturday, Sellers said.
