A mob of residents from an exclusive Morgan Hill community has
managed to keep public hiking trails out of their neighborhood, a
success that may prevent other residents from having in-town access
to scenic eastern foothills.
Morgan Hill – A mob of residents from an exclusive Morgan Hill community has managed to keep public hiking trails out of their neighborhood, a success that may prevent other residents from having in-town access to scenic eastern foothills.
More than 100 residents of the Jackson Oaks hillside community piled into city council chambers Wednesday night to protest their inclusion in a citywide Trails and Natural Resources Study, a proposed 20-plus-mile network of trails and walking paths that would connect parks, public facilities and open areas. When asked by Mayor Steve Tate which neighbors oppose being part of the plan, a sea of hands flew up and residents crammed in from outside council chambers to show a unified front.
Fears of fire, theft and disruption of wildlife have topped the list of complaints offered up by Jackson Oaks residents, who reiterated those concerns Wednesday over the course of a three-hour meeting.
“I think you’ve really got to address it from the standpoint of what’s the best overall thing for the city, and with 80 percent of residents not wanting it in their neighborhood, we have to go with that,” Mayor Steve Tate said Thursday, echoing his comments from the night before. Tate was part of the 4-0-1 vote in favor of dropping Jackson Oaks from the plan (Councilman Greg Sellers was absent).
He added that he does not believe exempting a neighborhood from the study sets a bad precedent for future planning efforts.
Phil Bogosian, a Jackson Oaks resident who spearheaded opposition to the study, expressed serious doubt about Councilman Mark Grzan’s proposal to continue studying a trail along the southern perimeter of the neighborhood. That trail, which Grzan said could be off limits to bikes and horses, could serve as an alternate connection to the eastern ridgeline, without which residents have no other access from Morgan Hill.
“Based on the comments and the issues brought to my attention, it’s difficult to see that that plan is feasible,” Bogosian said. “It runs across property ownership rights and terrain that would be difficult to impossible to overcome.”
In a written statement, Bogosian stated that “with over 1,000 petition signatures from Morgan Hill residents and an overflow crowd demanding removal, compared to less that(sic) 10 residents in opposition, the City Council decided that the area in question was not suitable to a trail system, and that the public did not want it. Of course we’re happy with this outcome, and so should the tax payers.”
The Jackson Oaks community has spent months opposing the plan at every step of the regulatory process, with some zealous opponents even earning a spot on the police incident report for flagging down cars on busy thoroughfares to gather petition signatures (they refused to provide a copy of that petition Wednesday night, citing privacy concerns of signatories). Neighbors who support trails have been shouted down and booed at prior public meetings, and several have complained at intimidation tactics by those who oppose the plan.
A few dissenting voices braved a hostile crowd Wednesday to speak in favor of trails and criticize their neighbors for skewing facts in a classic case of “NIMBY — not in my back yard.”
Grzan also asked pointed questions of Bogosian, countering statistics on the dangers of trails with alternate studies showing their benefit for property values and the health of community residents. But Grzan’s compromise plan to route a single trail around the community will face significant obstacles, according to Morgan Hill Director of Public Works Jim Ashcraft.
“The first we heard of the possible southern trail was when the councilman brought it up,” Ashcraft said. “Since then we’ve looked into it. We own some open space, but we can’t identify a clear path in the city that’s going to get you there. It might involve some private property outside of the city borders.”
And that private property includes a ranch owned by one of the area residents who spoke in opposition of the trails plan, according to Mayor Tate.
“It could turn out that we find it’s just impossible to pursue, but I’d like to give it a fair chance,” Tate said.
While voting to drop Jackson Oaks from the study area, councilmembers chose to send the overall trails plan back to the Parks and Recreation Commission for further study. In addition to exploring the southern trail route around Jackson Oaks, commissioners have been asked to look into additional trail connections to public facilities and schools in the heart of the city. The advisory body is scheduled to meet Oct. 16.
Once the draft Trails and Natural Resources Study is approved, the city plans to hire a consultant to perform a more detailed environmental review of the proposal. That process is expected to last through February 2008.
