Complicated point system will decide which residential projects
are ultimately approved
As the city enters its second year of Measure C, a growth control measure designed to plan Morgan Hill’s future residential development, 11 developers have applied to build a total of 509 residential units in the city next year.
Measure C, however, only allows 250 residential units to be built per fiscal year, leaving a lengthy and complicated process to decide which projects will get the green light.
“It’s an impressive list,” Councilman Greg Sellers said at last week’s city council meeting.
Passed in 2004, Measure C mandates the city’s population will not exceed 48,000 residents by 2020 by controlling the number of homes constructed within city limits. It caps residential growth at 250 homes per year, but allows the city to approve entire projects planned for construction over several years. Potential developments are given points based on a number of criteria in a complicated process. The projects with the most points are approved. Decisions on this year’s applicants will be made by February. Measure C expires in 2020.
“The number of housing unit applications for Measure C speaks to the confidence in the housing market and we are looking forward to them,” said Dan Craig, executive director of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association.
The increase in residential housing applications for downtown is close to what the city expected, according to Garret Toy, director of Business Assistance Housing and Services. Last year, there were only two applications for downtown. Neither of the projects were approved because they did not score enough points. This year, the city has changed the criteria to make it easier for downtown projects to receive approval.
The city is encouraging residential development downtown.
“The applications are definitely a positive development for downtown and fit the goals of the Downtown Plan,” Craig told the Times. “The model for downtown revitalization everywhere is it should have residential units. The question is the number of units that are going to be built under Measure C, whether the revised scoring criteria is going to help allow the housing units to get allocated and whether the ordinance can accommodate these many units in the cycle.”
Planning Commission President Ralph J. Lyle explained Measure C is a multiple year competition and last year’s competition already approved several projects to be built in upcoming years, but this is the first time the city has set aside units specifically for downtown.
The residential projects for downtown are in line with the city’s goals for downtown, said Lyle. He indicated more people living downtown would attract more retail businesses and encourage economic growth.
“It gives a nicer feeling to the community when you’re walking downtown and see it vibrant and full of people,” he said. “People living downtown will shop there and can attract more shops. This improves the business climate, interests potential retailers and attracts other people from other places to our downtown. It helps the aesthetics of a city’s downtown. It’s a snowball effect.”
The deadline to apply for Measure C approval was Oct. 3. With applications already on hand, Lyle said city staff is now on the first step of the review process, making sure the projects are consistent with the general plan. On Dec. 13, the Planning Commission will review staff scoring and hold a public hearing with the applicants. Scores will be reviewed and the Planning Commission will meet in January and approve any adjusted scores. The City Council will consider appeals in February before the Commission approves the final scores and the awards building permits to projects that receive the top scores that same month.
Downtown merchants welcome residential growth in the heart of Morgan Hill.
“There are multi-projects on the board and as long as they’re market rate, it will be a huge boon to the city,” said longtime Morgan Hill retailer Brad Jones. “I also see two groups of people are being left out in the long-range – the older, active seniors that are not ready to move to a retirement community, but would like to still live in a more urban environment, and the young couples that works here, but can’t afford a $1.5 million home.”
Jones said criteria for downtown projects should be suitable and focus on enhancing downtown.
“Measure should be based on guidelines for the urban environment,” said Jones. “Without these kinds of projects happening, downtown as a commercial area has no chance for survival. The city has been extremely myopic in developing downtown and wonders why businesses can’t make it. They have not enhanced the living environment downtown. … Measures should be developed to enhance the urban environment, adding points for ground floor commercial, higher densities, amenities like work-out rooms, laundry facilities.”
He believes the train depot makes downtown ideal to attract new residents, but is concerned about what will happen if the large-scale affordable housing units are built in the area.
“The city has the potential to build a fantastic downtown with the train depot right beside it, where people can walk right from the train station,” he said. “Continued subsidized housing in downtown and clustered in certain areas will doom it to a low-income ghetto and it’s not what our community wants. It can create an environment that is not good.”
Rose Meily covers City Hall for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach her at 779-4106 ext. 201 or by e-mail at rm****@mo*************.com
