The Morgan Hill city council will not purchase the property
currently occupied by Uesugi Farm’s Pumpkin Patch, due to
unforeseen expenses on top of the initial $4.4 million price tag
for the land.
The Morgan Hill city council will not purchase the property currently occupied by Uesugi Farm’s Pumpkin Patch, due to unforeseen expenses on top of the initial $4.4 million price tag for the land.
In September, the council voted unanimously to proceed with the purchase of the 43 acres at 14465 Monterey Road, just south of the city limits. The plan was to eventually develop the property into city parks.
But last week, following a closed session discussion, the council voted to withdraw its offer to purchase the land because of the cost of finding a new place for the current tenants.
“Whenever a public agency acquires property, they are required to relocate its residents,” City Manager Ed Tewes said. Private purchasers are not subject to the same requirement, he added.
Uesugi Farms currently leases the property for about $24,000 per month. The Pumpkin Patch is a popular attraction each fall, and has hosted a giant pumpkin weigh-off for 19 years.
Councilwoman Marby Lee acknowledged that there were other factors that came into play, but it was mainly the relocation issue that broke the deal.
Tewes said that issues like this are precisely why due diligence exists.
“This is the period during which the purchaser can identify any issues which may lead him to conclude that the transaction is not a viable option,” he said. “We looked at the total cost of acquiring the property, and of relocating its residents, and it was more than we were prepared to spend.”
Councilman Greg Sellers sees the council’s decision as a civic duty.
“We thought the land looked like an attractive option for future park needs,” he said, “but the city has an obligation to properly use the taxpayers’ funds.”
This does not mean, however, that the decision is written in stone.
“I don’t think the door is entirely closed, necessarily,” Lee said, “but we’re just looking at what’s on the table right now.”
