Voters asked to approve changes in residential growth law
Morgan Hill voters will be asked in the March 2 election to re-endorse the 27-year-old growth control concept responsible for keeping the lid on the city’s housing development and population growth.
Measure C is an updated form of Measure P. Measure P was the voter-approved residential growth-control ordinance mandating that the city would not grow larger than 38,800 by 2010. A simple majority is needed for the measure to pass.
Measure C amends the numbers to 48,000 by 2020 and brings the ordinance in line with the city’s General Plan and encourage rational growth.
The update also eases a cumbersome, time-consuming ordeal that developers and city staff undergo in meeting the ordinance’s requirements. And, Measure C will eliminate a flaw in the formula for calculating the allowed number of new housing units that created an uneven rate of growth.
The numbers also bring the city into conflict with the state which is asking for more housing units to be approved by 2006. The regional ‘housing fair share’ allocation attributed to Morgan Hill indicates that the city would need to allow 236 more units to be built during this time period than Measure P currently allows.
If the city doesn’t increase the number of units available to be built, the city’s housing element of the general plan will not be certified and the city could be subject to significant financial penalties.
If Measure C does not pass, it will expire or sunset in 2010 and, in the meantime, Measure P’s weaknesses will continue.
Unlike 1977 when the idea first went before the voters as Measure E, and in 1990 when was reworked as Measure P, this latest update, known as Measure C, is facing little or no opposition. In fact no one submitted a rebuttal to the measure, according to Elma Rosas, media representative for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters.
Measure P was updated over the course of an entire year beginning in the summer of 2002, by 19 members of the City Council, Planning Commission and a broad cross section of the community at large, ranging from developers to environmentalists.
Officially, the ordinance is called a Residential Development Control System (RDCS). Its original function was to stop the rampant, out-of-control growth of the 1970s when the population grew 200 percent in just 10 years, from 5,579 to 17,060, overwhelming the school district, sewer and water systems and other civic services.
The council at the time resisted instigating growth-control, so a citizen’s action group, headed in part by current Planning Commissioner Ralph Lyle, managed to get the initiative on the ballot. It passed, then passed again in 1990, after a decade of growing 40.26 percent, from 17,060 to 23,928. The town’s population grew another 40 percent, from 23,928 to 33,556, in the decade between 1990 and 2000.
Even with Measure P in place, Morgan Hill grew by more than 40 percent between 1990 and 2000, making it the fastest growing city in the county. Gilroy was second with 31.7 percent in that time period.
The intent of the new ordinance is for Morgan Hill to grow at approximately 2 percent annually.
Growth-control had a second effect on the face of Morgan Hill. Developers compete to earn points that can lead to building permits – or housing starts. To succeed in the competition, developers work to make their projects attractive with parks, proper access and other improving features, including location.
Measure C amendments encourage downtown development and “in-fill” instead of helter-skelter growth at odd, hard-to-provide utility service spots near city limits. It eliminates the one-third split between east, west and central that caused problems because more land was available on the city’s east side than on the west and an equal number of units was mandated.
An unintended consequence of the old Measure P was that westside projects receiving fewer points were sometimes given allotments over those on the eastside that earned more points. Westside projects were frequently located on the north or south perimeters, not centrally located as preferred by the general plan.
Measure C would encourage downtown development, according to Planning Director David Bischoff. Following the recently completed downtown plan, increased residential development would expand shopping and dining opportunities and create a more vibrant atmosphere. To achieve this, the update requires that, for the years 2006 through 2010, a particular number of residential permits would be reserved for downtown projects.
The measure could be extended either by a City Council ordinance or voter initiative. Mayor Dennis Kennedy has said he approves of the extension and prefers that it be done by voter initiative and all four other council members agreed, so the measure goes to the voters on March 2.
Measure C, and Measure P before it, concern only residential growth; they have nothing to do with commercial or retail development.
Details: www.morgan-hill.ca.gov or City Hall at 779-7271. Feb. 17 is the last day to register to vote. Registration forms are available at www.sccvote.org, at public libraries, post offices, DMV and most government offices including city halls. Voting details: 299-8683.
