Good news could be waiting for fans of In-N-Out Burger if the
City Council approves two requests Wednesday.
Good news could be waiting for fans of In-N-Out Burger if the City Council approves two requests Wednesday.
First is a year’s extension of the time the council gave the company to begin construction of the restaurant on the northwest corner of Cochrane Road and Highway 101 – a gateway site.
Council insisted that construction begin on a sit-down restaurant next to the In ‘N’ Out site before the burger establishment could proceed.
Negotiations with Applebee’s fell through, delaying burger production, but Denny’s is now showing interest and is presenting plans to the Planning Commission, tonight, Feb. 22. It could be several months before construction could begin.
The second request is to allow In-N-Out to proceed before Denny’s.
Another agenda item concerns a transit-oriented, mixed-use housing, retail/commercial project, called Casa Diana, planned for 2.8 acres on Diana Avenue west of Butterfield Boulevard and south to East Dunne Avenue.
The development is across Diana from the new $48 million county courthouse scheduled for a spring 2006 completion. The 3,500-square-foot retail/commercial building facing the courthouse could offer court-related businesses.
The 80 two-and-three story, one-, two- and three-bedroom townhouses will be market rate and some below market rate units. Council is asked to approve the concept and authorize the city manager to negotiate a predevelopment loan with EAH, Inc. a San Francisco-based nonprofit corporation that builds and manages affordable housing in California.
The preloan agreement would cost the Redevelopment Agency’s housing fund $50,000.
Council will also hear appeals from developers who are dissatisfied with the points their residential projects earned during the Measure C award process. Measure C is the voter-approved residential growth control initiative, passed in March 2004.
At its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 16, the council approved undergrounding the utility lines on Depot Street, to be paid for from the city’s in-lieu fund, money collected for the purpose from property owners on the line before the city is ready to proceed.
The estimated cost is $900,000; the project could be finished before the street is fully renovated in 2006 with $2.6 million grant the city recently received from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
Council also approved setting up an Underground Utility District to underground powerlines on Monterey Road between Dunne and Cosmo avenues. The work would be paid for with PG&E Rule 20A funds. Monterey Road powerlines north of Dunne Avenue are already buried.
The work will cost $1.7 million in PG&E funds (including borrowing $500,000 from the fund) plus $118,500 from the city’s in-lieu fund.
Undergrounding will not cost property owners, council said.
After discussion, council made no changes in the time or days of council meetings though Councilman Sellers got permission to review the agenda before it is printed, setting the order of appearance. He was concerned that items of public interest or controversy be moved up to appear earlier in the evening.
City Council or the Redevelopment Agency meets at 7 p.m. most Wednesdays in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: www.morganhill.ca.gov or 779-7271. Council meetings are broadcast live on cable access channel 17.
