Dear Editor, This letter is in response to the recent articles
about proposed improvements and changes to the downtown area.
Dear Editor,
This letter is in response to the recent articles about proposed improvements and changes to the downtown area.
Many people enjoy walking in downtown Morgan Hill because of the beautiful trees, which provide excellent shade in the hot summer. People from other areas remark on the beauty of our downtown, with the trees and planters full of flowers. Let us not cut down the trees or reduce the height, nor should we remove the lovely planters filled with flowers.
People in cars or those who are walking can clearly see across the street, so there is no need to make that change. Removing the lovely planters will not provide a great deal of space for dining and, during the part of the year when dining outdoors may not be desirable, it would be wasted space. The planters are lovely for all to see all year long and many people use the brickwork as a bench.
If it is determined that adding residential units to the downtown area is desirable, then it must be done within the Measure C Residential Growth Control limits and other building should be reduced to ensure that the growth rate of approximately 250 units per year is not exceeded. If there is a requirement to build 20 percent as below market rate’ units, then 50 units must be that. Growth Control Measure C was passed by the voters and the city should abide by that.
Doing anything to “build outside of Measure C” should never be proposed unless put to a vote by the residents of Morgan Hill. The voters have passed Measure C because they want growth control and the voters must be the ones to make any changes to that.
The reason given for passage of Measure C was to be able to build the required below market rate’ housing, since, under Measure P (the old growth control measure) we could not meet that requirement. It is not acceptable to continue to give building allocations as we have in the past, without the 20 percent allocation to below market rate units though personally, I believe that we have plenty of older housing that is below market rate.
Nancie Barker, Morgan Hill
