EDITOR: As one who watches the planning commission and city
council meetings on cable television, I am both puzzled and amused
at all the air that has been exhaled on the topic of fast food.
EDITOR:
As one who watches the planning commission and city council meetings on cable television, I am both puzzled and amused at all the air that has been exhaled on the topic of fast food.
The latest examples involve a Weinerschnitzel hot dog stand proposed near 101 and Tennant, and the return of In-n-Out seeking approval for an outlet at 101 and Cochrane. While many in the city would welcome and patronize these establishments, they apparently run afoul of the city’s policy to treat exits along 101 as “gateways” to the city, requiring special zoning and a calloused eye towards what can occupy those spaces.
I agree with the Jan. 21 editorial in The Times that we need a greater variety of casual and fine dining restaurants in Morgan Hill. And it would be nice if those that located here with unique to the area. But I disagree with its call for no more fast food.
We should look at the reasons why Morgan Hill is unable to attract casual dining chains to the community.
Is it because key locations are encumbered with oppressive fees and taxes? Is it because the spaces available are too expensive or won’t generate the traffic needed for profitability? Is it because the bureaucracy – the commissions, councils, boards and their staffs, overburdens the regulatory process? Is it because those operating restaurants in the city don’t want any additional competition?
The focal point of this debate should be on how we as a community can achieve our goals, not on whether we have too many fast food joints.
David Cohen, Morgan Hill
