Mayor Steve Tate is right on point in pushing for the city’s comprehensive General Plan update to be done in two years. Yes, the three-year outline is impressive in bulk and style, but with some editing and creative compression there’s nothing in the plan that the city can’t accomplish in two years time.
As an added benefit, in a time of tight and uncertain finances given the state-forced unravelling of the city’s RDA, the projected cost – close to $1 million – should be reduced significantly.
The city, under the guidance of planner Mitch Oshinsky, has put together a plan that will tackle zoning issues, economic development, housing and the city’s growth management laws with a forward-thinking component that will allow residents to participate in the process via the web.
That component is an exciting addition. Though the “Open Town Hall” aspect is not yet live on the website that’s dedicated to the General Plan – morganhill2035.org – it will be soon and that voice of the general public should become a powerful one in shaping the city’s future.
While the city should compress and edit the plan, there’s one glaring purposeful omission that should be rectified. The annexation of 760 or so acres in the southeast quadrant should be part and parcel to the General Plan update. To leave it out is to suggest that the land in question is not a part of the future vision for the city.
Include the 760 acres and accelerate the General Plan process so the two become one with the city’s future vision.
It makes too much common sense to choose any other option. And, if the City Council wants the process to remain credible with its advisory committee, the public and other government bodies, it should insist on a tighter timeline and the inclusion of the southeast quadrant.
Starting a complex process out on level ground with the obvious cards on the table is key to the successful development of a plan to take the city to 2035 and beyond.
