Besides holding a public workshop Wednesday on a crime control
strategy, and taking a look at raising water rates by 2 percent,
the City Council/Redevelopment Agency will consider how to choose
from 24 projects offered to perk up downtown by renovating,
building and adding design features.
Besides holding a public workshop Wednesday on a crime control strategy, and taking a look at raising water rates by 2 percent, the City Council/Redevelopment Agency will consider how to choose from 24 projects offered to perk up downtown by renovating, building and adding design features.
Councilmen Larry Carr and Steve Tate, the council subcommittee on Economic Development, has put together a report of suggested criteria and process for the full council to consider when distributing the $3 million earmarked for the purpose.
The projects ranged from small to large: proposals on banners, through renovation assistance to outright help in entirely new construction.
Most of the applicants are Morgan Hill residents; some are not. The amounts vary from a $3 million loan for land purchase by EAH of San Rafael to build a new mixed-income, transit oriented, “high-quality” apartments to a $10,000 request from the Downtown Association to hire a professional marketing and public relations firm to trumpet downtown’s charms to Bay Area visitors.
Most proposals specified no amount since they are early in the planning stage.
The subcommittee recommends a two-tiered approach, assigning some projects “category one” status where more information is needed. City staff would meet with the applicants to collect the information and/or direct them to meet with others with similar proposals with an intention of merging the two.
Downtown banners proposed by Cindy Acevedo of El Toro Brewing and the Downtown Association are such a case.
The report said the overall objective would be to rank the proposals and see what they should do next.
A second category – called “Quick Hitters” would include applications that meet the standards of the downtown plan, can be realized quickly with limited funds and quickly evaluated by city staff to get them off the mark as soon as possible. The ED subcommittee and staff from Business Assistance and Housing Services will evaluate the proposals.
A second report will present the council with rankings of the more complicated projects and the status of the “quick hitters.”
The public is welcome at all open council/RDA meetings and may speak on subjects not on that night’s agenda at the beginning and later on items that are on the agenda.
City Council and/or the Redevelopment Agency meets at 7 p.m. Wednesdays in City Hall Chambers, 17555 Peak Ave. Details: www.morgan-hill.ca.gov or 779-7271. Council meetings are broadcast live on cable access channel 17.
