The City Council and the Planning Commission will meet together
Wednesday to focus on downtown housing.
The City Council and the Planning Commission will meet together Wednesday to focus on downtown housing.
The two bodies will discuss how to deal with high-density development under current Measure C rules and how to mix market rate and affordable housing downtown.
Measure C is the voter-approved residential growth-control ordinance mandating that the city will not grow larger than 48,000 by 2020. Developers compete to earn points that, in turn, can lead to building permits – or housing starts.
It may be that Measure C scoring – assigning points – needs to be changed, according to the city staff report prepared by Planning Manager Jim Rowe.
Mixing high density housing with commercial, retail and restaurants all near public transportation is the current “fad” among city officials and developers across the country as they try to revive their faltering inner cities – downtown – areas.
Morgan Hill’s City Council has bought into this policy, encouraged by Bay Area practices and a $2.6 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission to upgrade Depot Street.
Proposed changes in the points’ assignments are in the open space, parks and paths, housing types, lot layout and livable communities categories of the Measure C competition.
Council and the commission will also discuss whether downtown residential projects should include affordable below market rate units, whether housing densities should be increased throughout the area, not just in a specific area and will take about expanding downtown south of Dunne Avenue.
The workshop is open to the public.
City Council/Planning Commission workshop meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: www.morganhill.ca.gov or 779-7271.
