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The transformation of downtown Morgan Hill is not even close to complete, but recent additions and changes in ownership of longtime establishments are giving patrons a taste of what’s in store for the neighborhood.
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And while the departure of some popular businesses and amenities may have left a void (perhaps temporary) for some of the downtown’s youngest customers, the ensuing growth and continuing interest from other tenants has solidified the area as a viable and attractive business district, according to city staff.
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Since late November, the Granada Theater, owned and operated by Frank Leal, has reopened as a “Rat Pack” style multiuse entertainment and banquet venue, and the 4,000-square-foot retail shell on the new downtown garage—fronting Third Street—has been occupied by two new tenants. These are the Coffee Guys coffee and pastries shop, and OrangeTheory Fitness gym and studio.
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Also since late last year, The Hill restaurant and bar, as well as Sinaloa Café, have changed ownership. Prova is the newest restaurant downtown, occupying the spot formerly held by Slims but with new owners.
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Prova’s specialty is tapas, or small plates that can be shared and passed among diners at each table. The menu—which includes such eclectic choices as Orecchiette pasta with Spanish olive oil, pork belly with grits, house made empanadas and pulled pork sliders—features cuisine from a variety of nationalities.
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Prova’s General Manager Jordan Walker said the restaurant tries to encourage the “communal dining experience” with the small plates that are ideal for sharing.
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“Instead of focusing on your own meal right in front of you, you’re enjoying your food and conversation and cocktails,” Walker said.
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One of Prova’s owners and their executive chef is Sal Calisi, who established Odeum restaurant across town at The Granary building several years ago.
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Just next door at The Hill, new owner Huberto Acevedo hails from the same family that owns Margarita’s Mexican restaurant in the Vineyard Town Center just south of town. Acevedo said he doesn’t have any immediate plans to change The Hill’s menu from what the previous owner established: “good, old traditional bar food.” This includes burgers, sandwiches, fries, chicken wings, cheese sticks and more.
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And of course The Hill’s bar will remain open at night time, serving cocktails until late in the evening, Acevedo added.
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Acevedo is planning some aesthetic changes to The Hill, with “a whole remodel” of the dining area.
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He added that his family chose to purchase The Hill back in November simply because of “the right timing.”
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“There was a door open, and everything worked out for us and the previous owner,” Acevedo said.
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The Hill’s previous owner, Dustin Evanger, said his decision to sell the restaurant was a “lifestyle change” inspired by his new baby daughter. It has also been a longtime business practice of his to purchase existing restaurants, spruce them up and improve them, and then sell them for a profit.
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Another popular downtown restaurant that recently changed hands is Sinaloa Café, located at 17535 Monterey Road. The owner didn’t return phone calls to the Times before our print deadline, but the restaurant’s Facebook page said Elmer Orellana is the new proprietor.
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The restaurant—previously owned by the Pena family—has been serving Morgan Hill residents and visitors for decades, and in the current downtown location for more than 10 years.
More new shops on the way
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Construction is well underway on The Opa! Group’s complex of four new restaurants on the corner of Third Street and Monterey Road, where Simple Beverages used to be. City Ventures is still planning to complete its new retail/residential project at the Depot Center property, where BookSmart used to be, by the end of 2017.
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And Leal’s construction of the Granada Hotel, next door to the theater, will likely continue into 2018.
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“Downtown is becoming a strong business district with relatively zero vacancy and demand for more retail space,” Morgan Hill Economic Development Manager Edith Ramirez said.
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City staff is working with “at least five businesses” who are seeking space downtown, Ramirez added. She said businesses like OrangeTheory and Coffee Guys also help to “boost the image of downtown.”
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“I think the market will only get stronger as the new restaurants open at the corner of Third and Monterey this summer,” Ramirez added.
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Specifically, these restaurants will be Opa!, which specialized in Greek cuisine; Willard Hicks steak house; Mo’s Burgers & More; and Tac-Oh! Mexican food.
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OrangeTheory owner Elaine Little said the city reached out to her to bring the fitness center to downtown Morgan Hill. Little has been the owner of the Sunnyvale franchise of OrangeTheory for about a year.
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Little and the rest of OrangeTheory’s crew plan to bring a “unique form of fitness to the community and some life to the street.” The gym’s fitness program, which focuses on group workouts and classes, will help to encourage a strong sense of community that Little said Morgan Hill supports.
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“(The city) asked us to come to this location and check it out. We love it,” Little said.
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More options for kids?
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These recent additions to the downtown have also forced some departures. Notable among these is BookSmart, which moved last year to make way for City Ventures’ project at their former downtown site. BookSmart has moved to 1295 E. Dunne Ave.
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The Candy Parlour’s former storefront on Monterey Road is not the site of new construction, but it closed at the end of November partly as an indirect result of new downtown construction.
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“With the current redevelopment of major sites within our downtown, our weekly core clientele has shifted to other areas of Morgan Hill and Gilroy and the large decrease in our revenue has had a devastating impact on our ability to stay in business,” reads a post on The Candy Parlour’s Facebook page from October.
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Another downtown amenity popular among children is the pop-up park, which is also set to be uprooted when restaurateur Dan McCranie (owner of Ladera Grill) begins construction on his three-story mixed use retail and rooftop dining project in March.
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Ramirez said despite the departures of these features that have attracted families downtown for years, new options for children are on the horizon as the city is also working on building three new parks in the neighborhood.
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“We are building two new permanent parks and a trail up the Nob Hill Tower (on the west side of downtown) that offer exciting new attractions, like a giant slide, climbable structures and movable furniture and games,” Ramirez said.
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More information about the new parks, expected to be completed later this year, can be found online at morgan-hill.ca.gov/1248/Downtown-Parks-and-Trails.
