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A resident in a north Morgan Hill neighborhood glanced into her backyard and discovered a California gull running around in circles and thought that maybe it was injured or sick. So the kind lady captured the bird and quickly brought it to the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center. WERC staff could find no obvious injuries and the bird acted very alert and feisty. It was transferred to a flight enclosure with a small swimming pool. And then it became immediately apparent that the gull was actually just a big baby, although adult-sized and fully feathered and “thisclose” to flying.

It’s like hearing a field of flowers blooming all at once, a concert of life bursting forth from young fingers gliding along violin strings. Romantic guitar notes blend with the sounds of vibrant trumpets blaring a heart-stopping melody with the solid, steady beat of the guitarrón, a fat-boy-sized bass guitar keeping perfect rhythm. “Ay ay ay,” the joyful chorus sings..

City officials have started negotiating with a developer who plans to bring two restaurants to the former Simple Beverages liquor store property on the southeast corner of Third Street and Monterey Road.However, a firm that competed for the winning proposal says the city is missing an opportunity to meet its stated “placemaking” goals. That firm, Weston Miles Architects in partnership with Leal Vineyards, hoped to develop a boutique hotel and a locally sourced restaurant designed and run by professionals with lengthy experience in the Morgan Hill hospitality industry.For now, until any project begins construction at the site, the former parking area in front of the empty liquor store building will remain a temporary “pop-up park,” which celebrated its grand opening May 22. At the opening ceremony, City Manager Steve Rymer said if the park—which includes a number of interactive amenities such as a bike repair station and children’s play area—proves to be a hit, the city will consider relocating it to another site when construction of the permanent project begins.City staff recommended San Jose-based partners Kenneth Rodrigues and Imwalle Properties to build on the site because they have the cash to start construction on phase one of their roughly 18,000 square foot proposal as soon as negotiations are over.The developers, selected by the five-member council on a unanimous vote at the May 20 council meeting, also hold “letters of intent” from two restaurants—a fine dining establishment and an “all day breakfast and burger” restaurant, reads a staff report from Assistant City Manager Leslie Little.Furthermore, adding to the attractiveness of Rodrigues/Imwalle’s proposal is they can pay the city, which owns the property, $525,000 cash for the land, Little explained.Rodrigues declined to name the two restaurants that have committed to the project. He said if negotiations go well with the city, his crew can start building phase one—a 5,500-square-foot two-story building on Third Street—as soon as November. That part of the project would include both restaurants on the ground floor, though Rodrigues has not yet decided what to bring to the upper floor.The restaurants would feature indoor and outdoor dining and furniture, Rodrigues explained.“We’re trying to create a community oriented use, and I think the restaurants with the outdoor seating will be really attractive to citizens,” Rodrigues said. “And it will enliven the pedestrian streetscape and create more foot traffic and excitement between this project and the city’s parking garage (under construction on Fourth Street).”Rodrigues/Imwalle’s second phase on the property would be a 6,000-square-foot retail building next to the restaurants with space for up to three tenants on Monterey Road.The only other development team that submitted a competing proposal for the property—Weston Miles/Leal Vineyards—wanted to build a four-story mixed-use building on the site consisting of a ground-floor restaurant, also with outdoor seating, fronting both Third Street and Monterey Road, and 34-room boutique hotel. The proposal from the Morgan Hill-based developers included conference rooms and a day spa with a rooftop deck, city staff said.The restaurant would feature “farm to table” dining offered by South Valley vintner and hospitality veteran Frank Leal. Lesley Miles of Weston Miles Architects said their project, which includes a “market hall” focusing on local and sustainable wine and produce, is the only proposal of the two that reflects Morgan Hill’s unique character.Miles pulled the contract to negotiate exclusively with Rodrigues/Imwalle from the May 20 consent agenda, which consists of items typically considered routine that the council approves without discussion.Specifically, Miles said after the meeting, the unique character that city staff and her development team seek to portray downtown is Morgan Hill’s “agricultural heritage, and particularly our burgeoning wine industry.” The proposed conference space would be ideally suited for wine events, complementing the Santa Clara Valley’s growth as a wine region, she added.Miles cited previous downtown projects developed by Weston Miles—including the Granary building on Depot Street—and the development of other wine towns on the Central Coast such as Healdsburg and Paso Robles that have successfully preserved their respective region’s sense of place.“When we as a community look at the most successful independently developed projects in the last 10 years, projects developed by members of our development team stand at the forefront,” Miles said. “They have a unique Morgan Hill character and the ability to draw both tourists and locals alike because they successfully create that sense of place and harken back our agricultural past.”The city acquired the property through the dissolution of the Redevelopment Agency’s former assets. The RDA purchased the liquor store site in 2009 with the intent to sell it to a developer who would build a mixed-use project similar to that proposed by Weston Miles and Rodrigues.However, the state closed the RDA in 2012 and ordered the city and county to dispose of its former properties and cash in a way that benefits public safety services and schools, among other basic services. The city purchased the liquor store site in March for $525,000, after convincing post-RDA regulators they could form a public-private partnership to develop the property consistent with the RDA’s original plan and the state’s desire to replenish the local taxing agencies’ coffers.The current temporary use of the property as a park filled with public art, patio furniture, kids’ games and bicycle amenities is an effort to “activate” the space for uses other than parking, according to city staff.

Firefighters battled a wild land blaze that started near the ninth hole of the Eagle Ridge Golf Course Wednesday afternoon, raced up a oak studded hillside and ultimately burned 7 acres in the east Gilroy foothills, according to Gilroy Fire Department Division Chief Mary Gutierrez.

John Flood, a longtime Morgan Hill resident, is remembered by those who knew him best as a veteran, a hero, a loving father and a friend who didn’t know a stranger.Flood, who would have turned 31 this week, died as a result of injuries suffered in an altercation outside a downtown Morgan Hill bar May 20, according to police.The Morgan Hill resident’s friends and family remembered him May 21 at a wake at The Hill bar and restaurant, where Flood worked security before his death.“John made friends with everybody,” said Michael Guizar, who knew Flood for 25 years.Flood grew up in Morgan Hill and graduated high school from Monte Vista Christian School in Watsonville, Guizar said. He earned his Associate’s degree from Gavilan College.Flood served in the U.S. Air Force for about 9.5 years, during which time he spent a tour in Afghanistan, Guizar added. He is survived by his 7-year-old son Payton.A member of Morgan Hill Bible Church, Flood was devoted to his faith and his church.“He was a hero,” said MH Bible Church Pastor Billy Morin. “He was a true servant, a true friend and a true brother. A lot of the students (at the church) looked up to him.”Before the packed crowd of friends, family and acquaintances of Flood’s, a handful of those who knew him closely spoke through tears as they remembered the man whose death remained a shock less than 48 hours after the late-night incident in the rear parking lot of the M&H Tavern.Poster-sized photos of Flood, wearing a wide smile in each image, decked the small stage at the rear of the restaurant’s dining and entertainment area. The Hill staff and friends passed around buckets collecting cash donations for the Wounded Warrior Project and funeral expenses now borne by Flood’s parents and family members.Among those in attendance were Morgan Hill City Councilmembers Larry Carr and Rich Constantine.Constantine said the council heard about the death from MHPD Chief David Swing shortly after officers responded to the fatal May 20 incident.“I’m sorry to hear about any loss of life, especially of someone who was so well-liked, and working in our community,” Constantine said. “Tragedy can touch you when you’re least expecting it.”Morgan Hill police initially arrested Joseph Haley, 32 of San Jose, in relation to Flood’s death. However, Haley was released from Santa Clara County custody the evening of May 21 because prosecutors with the District Attorney’s office needed more time to review the evidence, Supervising Deputy D.A. Steve Lowney said last week.Officers responded to the rear parking lot of the Tavern, on the 17300 block of Monterey Road, on a call reporting a man lying on the ground bleeding from his head. Police located the man, later identified as Flood, suffering from major head trauma. He was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.Police said Flood and Haley had been involved in a physical altercation. Based on witness statements and other evidence including video surveillance of the incident from the Tavern’s security system, investigators identified Haley as the suspect who caused Flood’s injuries and death.Flood’s friends have also set up a fundraising site at Health Donor to collect donations for funeral and other expenses. The site, coordinated by Guizar and Michael White, has raised $12,000 as of May 26. The site can be found at healthdonor.com/campaigns/johnathansfund/.“As Christians, we believe that anyone who believes in Jesus and accepts Him as their Lord and Savior will someday join him in Heaven,” reads a message on the site from Flood’s parents, Paul and Pamela Flood.