After two years of committee work, closely watched by interested
property owners, it is time for the public to weigh in on Morgan
Hill
’s proposed greenbelt and urban limit line (ULL).
After two years of committee work, closely watched by interested property owners, it is time for the public to weigh in on Morgan Hill’s proposed greenbelt and urban limit line (ULL).
The public – property owner or not – is invited to a workshop with the ULL Committee on a draft ULL proposal Monday, March 14, 7pm at the Community Center, Monterey Road and Dunne Avenue.
Following the public workshop, the ULL Committee will meet Monday, March 21, at 7pm at the Community Center to review the public’s comments and to consider its final recommendations to the Planning Commission and the Council. All committee meetings are, and have been, open to the public.
Working with Santa Clara County, the city is wants to find out if the public still wants parts of the city – mostly hillsides – preserved from development in a greenbelt. It is also asking if they want an Urban Limit Line. Both were approved by voters in the mid 1980s.
Critical to the plan’s ultimate approval is deciding how to compensate land owners in greenbelt areas who would be giving up the right to develop their land to its fullest potential.
An ULL is a line designating the ultimate edge of where the city would be allowed to grow over the next 50 to 60 years. Land inside the ULL would remain subject to city zoning regulations and have the benefit of city services.
Property outside the line will be unincorporated and under the control of Santa Clara County and would not be able to have city services, thus limiting development.
The citizen-designed General Plan of 1990 and the update of 2000 recommended the ULL study.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy, who headed up the committee, said a greenbelt and urban limit line have been important to him for many years.
“In light of the pressure for growth coming south from Coyote Valley and San Martin incorporating into a city, we need a greenbelt so we don’t become the continuous urban sprawl that Los Angeles is.”
Because voters wanted the greenbelt in 1986, he would not be surprised if they still do.
The ULL follows the city’s urban growth boundary except north of Madrone Business Park (north of Cochrane Road), the Diana/Main/Hill road area and, most contentious of all, the southeast quadrant.
This is an area of 1,250 acres bounded by San Pedro Avenue on the north, Highway 101 on the west, Carey Road on the east and Maple Avenue on the south. The quadrant contains property used for agriculture, large homesteads and undeveloped land plus some highly visible and attractive land. Under consideration is a 200-acre business park area near the freeway, commercial areas, new and existing residential development.
Who would pay infrastructure and improvement costs – property owners, taxpayers or a combination of both – was an item of concern and a special subcommittee of five was set up to investigate the southeast issue.
The draft ULL plan does not include a final plan for the southeast quadrant since questions remain to be answered.
Committee member and property owner Jan Guglielmo said the committee worked hard to draw the line around most of the city and she expects most people will approve.
However, Guglielmo is not satisfied with the subcommittee’s southeast quadrant suggestion that 500 out of the 1,250 acres be reserved for greenbelt.
“That’s too many acres,” Guglielmo said. “No other area had to give up property except in the southeast quadrant. The greenbelt is a wonderful idea, but there is no money to pay for it.”
Guglielmo said that, with the Aquatics Center, the soccer complex, soon to become an outdoor sports center and the water district percolation ponds, the area has quite enough open space.
“Where will they get the money to pay for all those new parks,” she said. “They are already cutting back on maintaining existing parks.”
She is especially worried that many of the land owners are Japanese-Americans who were interned and lost their land during World War II, had returned to farming and now face a huge financial loss because they can’t sell and the city has no money to buy.
“They are the true environmentalists,” she said, “but many are in their 80s and 90s and may need to sell their land.”
The southeast area, she said, is flat, not under the dam and perfect for development.
“Why is that area being excluded when developers can build anywhere else,” Guglielmo said.
Former Community Development Director David Bischoff, hired as a consultant after his April 2004 retirement to see the ULL plan through to completion, said he hopes to get particular information from the workshop.
“To date we’ve received input from the southeast property owners,” Bischoff said, “but we have heard very little from residents in the rest of the community. We are hoping to get comments from them.”
The greenbelt would be located outside the ULL with the purpose of separating Morgan Hill from San Jose and San Martin, should that unincorporated city begin to urbanize. It would provide a permanent open space, largely hillside area seen – and enjoyed – from the valley floor.
The draft plan stipulates that greenbelt land use be restricted to agriculture, parks, sparse and low-impact residential and other open space uses calling for minimal improvements. As with other zoning changes, existing uses would be grandfathered in.
Currently, the plan considers the greenbelt to include the Coyote Valley greenbelt south of Palm Avenue, the Baird Ranch and the Santa Clara County Coyote Creek Park chain north of the city.
It includes the eastern and western foothills – including the Math Institute Golf Course on Foothill – including El Toro Mountain, the western side of El Toro and foothills on the western side of Paradise Valley, Anchorpoint parcels and the hill south of Edmundson Avenue south of Sunnyside, Silveira Park and the city-owned land along Llagas Creek.
The committee has developed guidelines for dealing with the property purchase issue. Property could be bought outright for preservation or a conservation easement on the land could be purchased instead, allowing the owner to continue using the property under approved open space guidelines.
Only willing property owners would be asked to sell their land or development easements. Several sources should be used to buy property, since all government entities are experiencing a budget squeeze and pooled resources would go further.
Priorities would focus first on El Toro Mountain and the foothills east of Hill Road and north of Dunne Avenue.
Copies of the 50-page draft report can be read or picked up at the Planning Division at City Hall, 17555 Peak Ave. or call 779-7247 to have one mailed.
Details: www.morganhill.ca.gov or 779-7247.
Carol Holzgrafe covers City Hall for The Times. She can be reached by e-mail at ch********@*************es.com or phoning (408) 779-4106 Ext. 201.
