What kind of shops, restaurants and homes do you want to see in
downtown Morgan Hill? The builder who will redevelop two key
properties on Monterey Road wants to know, and local residents and
businesses can offer their input at a
”
community engagement
”
meeting 7 to 10 p.m. June 30 at the Morgan Hill Community and
Cultural Center.
What kind of shops, restaurants and homes do you want to see in downtown Morgan Hill?
The builder who will redevelop two key properties on Monterey Road wants to know, and local residents and businesses can offer their input at a “community engagement” meeting 7 to 10 p.m. June 30 at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center.
Barry Swenson Builder, a San Jose company that was selected to work with the city on a deal to revitalize the properties, will continue to seek the public’s preferences and ideas as the plan to transform almost two city blocks in the middle of downtown proceeds.
Receiving feedback from the community early on in the $40 million-plus mixed-use project is “extremely important,” said Tina Viglizzo, project manager for Barry Swenson Builder.
“It’s part of what we had agreed to in our (proposal to the city), and we want to make sure we do right by the community,” Viglizzo said.
The company was selected by the city council in April to redevelop the two properties, which are currently owned by the city’s Redevelopment Agency.
One of the properties, on the 17400 block of Monterey Road, currently houses the Downtown Mall, the Morgan Hill Cigar Company and the now-defunct Granada Theater. The other site is just to the south, at the intersection of Monterey Road and East Second Street, and now contains Royal Clothiers and a small park. Both properties contain parking lots behind the buildings.
The city has long had a plan to redevelop the properties with a combination of retail and dining establishments, residences, office space and parking areas. The plan also includes developing a new multi-screen cinema on the property that now houses Royal Clothiers.
When the RDA sent out a request for qualified developers for the sites last September, Barry Swenson Builder submitted a tentative proposal that would carry out the city’s plan in multi-level buildings with retail properties on the ground floor, with a mix of condominiums, apartments and studios upstairs. About 70 housing units are contained in the initial plans for both properties.
The initial plans also include a boutique grocery as an “anchor tenant” on the corner of Monterey Road and First Street, and smaller retail and dining options surrounding it.
The builder will present those plans at the June 30 meeting, but will also take suggestions for possible tenants, as well as the design and layout of the properties. Construction on the two projects will not begin for at least another 12 months, but the builder wants to be sure the projects jibe with “the community’s overall vision,” Viglizzo said.
A second community meeting to solicit public input on the redevelopment projects is scheduled for July 8, also at the CCC.
Councilwoman Marby Lee encouraged residents to attend the workshop-style meetings because “it’s their downtown.”
“This is an opportunity for people to give some input on what they want to see downtown,” Lee said.
Viglizzo said the builder will use the feedback gathered at the two meetings in the formation of detailed design plans, which will be presented to the public before they are eventually approved by the city council.
The city council is scheduled to consider approval of an “exclusive negotiating agreement” with Barry Swenson at Wednesday’s meeting. The city will eventually sell the properties to the builder, who will agree to develop them based on the council’s direction.
The Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center is located at 17000 Monterey Road.
