Details and a time schedule to improve Morgan Hill
’s downtown will be under the City Council microscope Wednesday
night, with parking and traffic at the top of the list.
Details and a time schedule to improve Morgan Hill’s downtown will be under the City Council microscope Wednesday night, with parking and traffic at the top of the list.
The workplan is designed to guide public and private efforts as buildings and vacant land are developed, with the end result a pleasing place to benefit the public, business owners and the city treasure which receives sales taxes from each retail sale.
Formal downtown boundaries were set at Dunne, Del Monte and Main avenues and Butterfield Boulevard.
Updated from a previous 1980 version, the new Downtown Plan first saw the light of day in August 2003 and described actions and estimated costs of making the five-block stretch of Monterey and its side streets more pedestrian-friendly. The plan followed current ideas of urban use, namely a mixture of retail shops and restaurants at street level with offices and housing on upper floors, all tied together with public transit and easy access – walkable is the key word.
With mixed use, people are in the area at all times, boosting business, easing home life and, as a side effect, reducing crime because someone is always around to keep an eye on things.
On Wednesday, with council’s approval, specific actions for each plan segment will be assigned a timeline and estimated costs. Components include parking, flood control, land use, circulation, parking, urban design, development help and public improvement priorities. Some are already funded, others are not.
Garret Toy, director of city Business Assistance and Housing Services, said in his agenda report that over three years $5.35 million has been budgeted to spur the workplan into action. He estimates that the city will need $2.2-$3.1 million more to fully produce unfunded parts of workplan.
The complete Council agenda is available at the City Clerk’s desk in City Hall and on line. City Council and/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.
