Round 27 or so in the Fry
’s Golf Course fight will make an appearance at Tuesday’s
Planning Commission meeting. At issue is an appeal by two
environmental groups to the city granting a temporary use permit
for restricted operation and play on the course. Also at issue is a
second draft Environmental Impact Report, which
will be available for public review and comment by Oct. 20,
according to city Planning Manager Jim Rowe.
Round 27 or so in the Fry’s Golf Course fight will make an appearance at Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting.
At issue is an appeal by two environmental groups to the city granting a temporary use permit for restricted operation and play on the course. Also at issue is a second draft Environmental Impact Report, which will be available for public review and comment by Oct. 20, according to city Planning Manager Jim Rowe.
The golf course, the brainchild of John Fry of Fry’s Electronics, was built to enhance recreational possibilities for the American Institute of Mathematics, also founded by Fry, when it moves to Morgan Hill from Palo Alto. An existing course on the ground was renovated without going through the normal permitting process with the City of Morgan Hill, and without securing proper approval from environmental agencies that protect water ways and endangered animals that might live on the property.
Besides the troubles the golf course – built by a consortium called Corralitos Creek LLC – has with the city’s planning department, it has had to do battle with the Audubon Society and the Green Foothills Committee, plus several state and federal agencies, all of whom want to tell Corralitos how to manage the world-class,18-hole course.
Steve Sorenson – who manages the course and is a co-founder of the AIM – said he had invited the Audubon’s Craig Breon and Green Foothill’s Brian Schmidt to the course several times but was rebuffed.
However, two weeks ago Schmidt and Breon did tour the course and later met at City Hall with Sorenson and the group’s environmental consultant Randy Long.
“They were very courteous,” Schmidt said. “They explained what they were doing and what potential changes they might make.”
Schmidt said most of the changes would best be talked about in the overall permit process. Breon, he said, also had some good suggestions – Breon is a golfer while Schmidt is not – of changes that would not decrease golfing pleasure.
Breon said before the tour that, having talked with Sorenson and Long, he saw a possibility that the two sides might come to an agreement, which would allow the appeal to be dropped.
“But we’re not there yet,” Breon said.
By Wednesday, according to Rowe, Breon and Schmidt were to have received plans from Long and Sorenson describing how they intend to deal with the reduction of turf areas, lessening the need for watering, chemical fertilizers and herbicides, to delineate areas to be mowed and those not mowed and to specify what would happen if the golf course violated the terms of the agreement.
“They want an automatic revocation of the TUP,” Rowe said.
Schmidt said he did receive a large photograph of the course from Long Wednesday afternoon, on which areas were marked for proposed turf removal. He said he would be hesitant to make a decision on the feasibility of the plan based on that information alone. He would, he said, talk to Breon and see what could be discovered.
“I have trouble seeing that it could make changes in our position.”
“And it’s still up to the city whether or not the course should happen,” Schmidt said. “They should take this and submit it to other agencies (involved in the EIR).”
Schmidt said he was also a bit upset that he and Breon had to pay more than $1,000 to make the appeal.
“We think we should get our money back,” he said.
“The TUP is important,” Breon said, “but, long term what’s really important is what gets hashed out after the EIR is complete. We will ask for major changes in the course.”
Asked if he thought the golf course people would be able to live with the changes, Breon said. “I think there’ll be a bit of a fight.”
The complete Planning Commission agenda in full is available at the City Clerk’s desk in City Hall and on line. The commission meets at 7 p.m. the second and fourth Tuesday of every month in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: www.morgan-hill.ca.gov or 779-7271. Meetings are broadcast live on cable access channel 17 and repeated at a later time.
