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Morgan Hill
In 2002, a study committee was commissioned by the City of Morgan Hill to establish an Urban Limit Line. The goal of this was to target land beyond the line for permanent protection as a greenbelt.
Morgan Hill already has an Urban Growth Boundary, established in 1996, which promotes city-centered growth and protects land outside the city from development for 20 years.
There's a twist. If the Urban Limit Line is drawn outside of the existing Urban Growth Boundary, currently protected land (the land between the two lines) will actually be opened up to development — the opposite of what was originally intended. Greenbelt Alliance has worked to ensure that an Urban Limit Line would protect farmland and natural areas permanently, rather than threatening land that is already protected.
The City Council approved an Urban Limit Line that closely follows
the existing Urban Growth Boundary, with the exception of 1,250 acres
of farmland abutting San Martin. The City is holding off making a final
decision on this land until an Industrial Land Market Study is completed
to determine if this land is needed for future growth. Greenbelt Alliance
does not support opening this farmland to development and maintains that
better use of land within the Urban Growth Boundary can meet the needs
of a growing population.
To further complicate matters, the community of San Martin, just south
of Morgan Hill, is seeking incorporation. Incorporation proponents want
to include the entire valley floor in between Morgan Hill and Gilroy within
their city limits. Even though San Martin does not want urban services
and plans to remain on septic and well water, crafting expansive city boundaries
opens the door for sprawl development and destroys any opportunity for
greenbelts in South Santa Clara County.
What You Can Do
If you are a resident of Morgan Hill or know someone who is, please contact
the City
Council. Your voice counts--the City Council did react to the
100 letters sent from community members!
To find out how you can protect Morgan Hill’s greenbelt, contact
Field Representative Michele Beasley by email or
by calling 408-983-0856. Greenbelt Alliance can add your name to a growing
list of Morgan Hill residents
who support a tight urban limit line.
Send a letter to the editor of the Morgan
Hill Times stating your desire
for a protected greenbelt and support for locally grown, fresh produce.
Read columnist Wes Rolley’s thoughts
on local produce.
Campaign Update
May 2008
Morgan Hill seems intent on bringing the southeast quadrant, 1,250 acres
of prime farmland abutting San Martin, into its urban limit line. Despite
an Industrial Land Market Study stating this area is not needed for homes
or jobs for at least several decades, the City Council initiated a look
at a new zoning designation, Sports-Recreation-Leisure. In other words,
anything from bocce ball courts to culinary institutes to indoor sports
centers could be allowed on what is now a community separator. Once this
verdant land is included within the urban limit line, it is fair game
for development.
On April 30, the Morgan Hill City Council kicked off the study of two
Environmental Impact Reports as well as a feasibility study that would
determine whether or not agriculture is even sustainable in Morgan Hill.
As part of the urban limit line study, the City is also mulling an agricultural
mitigation policy, which could protect one acre of farmland for every
acre converted to urban uses. However, area farmers have been vocal that
farming in the southeast quadrant no longer makes economic sense.
Greenbelt Alliance has been working with FROGs, an advocacy group concerned
with the loss of working farms in the county, to build a grassroots base
of open space advocates in Morgan Hill. A letter campaign targeting the
April 30 Council meeting brought in more than 100 letters asking the
City to support working farms, such as Andy’s Orchard, and a community
greenbelt.
December 2007
Since it was determined through the Industrial Land Market Study that
Morgan Hill had plenty of land for industrial growth within existing
city limits, the City turned its attention to sports, recreation, and
leisure uses in the Southeast Quadrant. Suggested uses provided by the
consultant include outdoor soccer fields, a culinary institute, bocce
courts and a flea/farmers’ market. The City is stating that some
of these uses will be in keeping with the open space/greenbelt nature
of the Southeast Quadrant while also being an economic driver for Morgan
Hill. In 2008, the City will hold a public workshop on the types
of uses
that may be permitted in the Southeast Quadrant. This will lay the
foundation for a General Plan amendment and completion of the Urban Limit
Line. Morgan Hill continues to work on Open Space and Agricultural Mitigation
Policies. It is estimated that 700 to 900 acres of land would be subject
to the proposed policies and that in-lieu fees could be set at $15,000
to $30,000 per acre.
August 2007
The City of Morgan Hill held a community workshop in June to identify
priorities for the update of the Downtown Plan. The two top priorities
emerging at the workshop were increasing densities to create a more
vibrant downtown and providing additional public parking. Morgan Hill
plans on having a completed Downtown Plan by May 2008. However, on the
east side of town, a new "lifestyle retail center" is being unveiled.
This project has the potential to drain the
life from the downtown. Increasing the amount of housing downtown will
benefit local businesses, but investing
in infrastructure
on the
other side of Highway 101 will not. It is the retail sales tax
dollars that big-box retail provides that often lures cities away from
investing in their existing downtown areas.
June 2007
In January 2007, the Industrial Land Market Study for Morgan Hill concluded
as Greenbelt Alliance said earlier—that the City has plenty of
room for industrial growth without the need for 1,250 acres of prime
farmland to the southeast of the city. Now the attention has shifted
more towards revitalizing downtown.
Last November, Morgan Hill residents
voted for Measure F, which will increase the number of housing units
in downtown. On June 19, the City will kick off an update of the Downtown
Plan with a public workshop. One issue that is sure to be contentious
in this community is parking. Additionally, Morgan Hill is slated to
have a draft Open Space and Agricultural Mitigation Policy ready by July.
This was in part prompted by the Greenbelt/ Urban Limit Line Advisory
Committee and in part by LAFCO’s recently adopted Santa Clara County-wide
agricultural mitigation policies.
March 2007
In January 2007, the study indicated that the City does not need to consider
new industrial land for at least another 20 years, as their current inventory
of available land is sufficient. It also recommends that staff develop
Open Space and Agricultural Lands Conversion Policies for the City. The
report does indicate that the Southeast Quadrant could be used for community
sports and recreation or possibly as an urban reserve.
Morgan Hill is also beginning work on its downtown plan, and will consider
zoning changes to allow for higher densities in the downtown core. There
is interest on the part of the Planning Commission and planning staff
to hold off on projects already slated for downtown until the densities
are increased. However, several City Councilmembers are eager to get
development underway. Currently, the zoning for downtown is 8-18 units
per acre.
January 2007
In early 2003, the Morgan Hill City Council appointed an Advisory Committee
to undertake an Urban Limit Line/Greenbelt Study. While the intentions
of the Council were in the direction of defining a complete greenbelt
for the city, many committee members are staunch property rights advocates
who were representing their own interests. In June 2005, the City Council
heard the committee’s report as well as a minority report from
the smaller environmental contingent and decided to hold off on any decision
regarding the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ) until an Industrial Land Market
Study (ILMS) was complete. The Urban Limit Line was approved for the
majority of Morgan Hill with the exception of the SEQ. The ILMS has now
been completed, and it agrees with the report of the minority that additional
land is not needed in the city. Greenbelt Alliance will continue to advocate
for no urban development in the SEQ.
November 2006
The City of Morgan Hill passed Measure F to allow an additional 100 housing
units downtown! This is in addition to 360 units which were already approved.
Morgan Hill’s downtown has seen little to no development over the
past decade, yet the City has continued to build single family homes
on the fringe and lose sales tax dollars to Gilroy’s outlets and
San Jose’s malls. Increasing residential density in the City’s
downtown will support local businesses, boost Caltrain ridership and
enliven the heart of Morgan Hill. More importantly, it will take some
of the pressure off the surrounding greenbelt and hopefully convince
the City Council that including the Southeast Quadrant within the Urban
Limit Line is not necessary for continued growth.
August 2006
At the July 26th City Council meeting,
the City Council unanimously voted to place a measure on the November
ballot that would allow an additional 100 units downtown, to come from
future Measure C allotments. Morgan Hill's population cap would not be
raised. The passage of the measure would mean more compact, mixed-use
development in downtown, taking pressure off the greenbelt.
June 2006
A workshop was held in Morgan Hill on June 12th to discuss the issue of
exempting the downtown from Measure C, the City's growth control ordinance.
Since the deadline for a November ballot measure is early August, the
City is trying to avoid triggering the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) as there would not be enough time to complete an Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) by August. The City already has General Plan and Downtown
Plan CEQA documents and wants to craft a ballot measure that would fall
within their parameters. The City has been making some progress on the
downtown, using Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) grant money
to fix up Depot Street where they are currently placing utilities underground.
The workshop included members from the City Council, Planning Commission,
property owners, developers and stakeholders. Some felt it would be best
to exempt the downtown entirely from Measure C and not count those units
towards the population cap or frontload allotments for several years into
the future, which some in the development community found unfair. In the
next several months, the City will transform the downtown plan into more
of a specific plan as well as complete a Parking Management Study. The
developers were concerned with Morgan Hill's approach, which has been
described as piecemeal on lots that are too small, and suggested visiting
towns such as San Carlos and Burlingame to get a sense of what those cities
did with their downtowns.
May 2006
In April, the Morgan Hill City Council voted on a partial Urban Limit
Line for the City. It is partial because the line has not been drawn in
the area of the Southeast Quadrant. The City only recently began an Industrial
Land Market Study, which could take at least a year to complete. This
study will identify areas for future industrial growth and new trends
in that type of growth. The City has alluded to the possibility of waiting
until its next General Plan update, possible five years out, before addressing
the possible inclusion or exclusion of the SEQ. Meanwhile, a new ULL was
created elsewhere and the City Council agreed to keep approximately 500
acres on the east side of town outside the new ULL.
April 2006
Greenbelt Alliance prepared comments on Morgan Hill's Mitigated Negative
Declaration (MND) for the General Plan amendment regarding the Urban Limit
Line (ULL). The City currently has an Urban Growth Boundary, but decided
to create a longer-term version of the line as a way to identify greenbelt
areas. However, this backfired when property owners tried to include 1,250
acres of farmland inside the line to reap the financial rewards. This
area, known as the Southeast Quadrant, is not part of the current discussion
with the Planning Commission and City Council, as an Industrial Land Market
Study needs to be completed first. According to City staff, this could
take at least a year and then they may just wait until the next General
Plan update before finally addressing the area. Our comments on the MND
suggested the need for an agricultural mitigation policy to address the
loss of farmland to development.
February 2006
Morgan Hill planning staff have prepared specific amendments to the General
Plan which will be the subject of public hearings before the Planning
Commission and City Council in March and April. Greenbelt Alliance was
concerned about a proposed language change stating that agriculture is
no longer viable in a large area to the east of the town. Fortunately,
planning staff have since said that change has been dropped. It appears
that a decision about the future of a 1,200-acre area of farmland outside
the city, known as the Southeast Quadrant, will not be made for several
months at the least or, if the City Council waits until the next General
Plan update, for five years. This is good news; any development threat
to this land now appears not to be imminent.
01/17/2006 Growing
Communities, Growing Issues, Morgan Hill Times
July 2005
Particularly endangered by the expansive ULL was the Southeast Quadrant
(SEQ), 1,250 acres of farmland adjacent to San Martin. The City Council
voted to support the staff recommendation which included tabling the SEQ
discussion until after an Industrial Land Market Study is completed in
2006. Staff also rejected the study committee's inclusion of more than
400 acres along the east foothills, choosing instead to pull the line
in to follow Hill Road. In June, the City Council voted to protect 400
acres of open space along the foothills east of the City as called for
in the minority report.
June 2005
After two years of meetings, the majority of the committee agreed on a
more expansive Urban Limit Line that would make hundreds of acres vulnerable
to development. In particular, the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ), 1,250 acres
of farmland adjacent to San Martin, was included within the ULL. Greenbelt
Alliance and local environmentalists put together a 'minority report'
which depicted an ULL that closely follows the Urban Growth Boundary and
which also came up with financing mechanisms for the greenbelt. The Morgan
Hill City Council voted to have both reports studied on an equal basis
in the Environmental Impact Report. A decision by the Morgan Hill City
Council on this issue is expected later this year after the EIR is complete.
May 2005
On April 20th, the Morgan Hill City Council was briefed on the Urban Limit
Line/Greenbelt Study Committee's work of the past two years. The Study
Committee's proposal recommended an Urban Limit Line that would allow
for hundreds of acres of working farmlands to eventually be developed.
Greenbelt Alliance teamed up with several local environmentalists as well
as the Committee for Green Foothills and the Audubon Society to work on
an alternate proposal. This 'minority report' suggested an alternative
Urban Limit Line (ULL) that would be drawn very close to the City's existing
Urban Growth Boundary as well as two possibilities as to how to finance
the acquisition of the greenbelt. At the last minute, this minority report
was added to the City Council's agenda and Greenbelt Alliance stressed
to the Council that if they choose to study the Committee's proposal,
then they should look at both reports on an equal basis. The Council decided
on this approach and staff has been directed to prepare a Draft Environmental
Impact Report and to report back to Council in June.
April 2005
After two years of meeting to decide where Morgan Hill's Urban Limit Line
(ULL) should be placed and how a greenbelt should be financed, the ULL/Greenbelt
Study Committee is preparing to present the result of their work to the
Morgan Hill City Council on April 20th. Their proposed ULL will be drawn
to include several hundred acres of working farmland in the Southeast
Quadrant (SEQ) and will drastically alter the growth pattern of Morgan
Hill. The SEQ abuts San Martin and, once developed, would erase any community
separation between these two communities. Morgan Hill currently has an
Urban Growth Boundary (UGB), hundreds of acres of vacant land within this
boundary, and a growth control measure (a building permit cap), which
limits the number of new homes that can be built each year.
April 11, 2005
New
line looking for love, Gilroy Dispatch
March 25, 2005
Alternative
plan for open space, Morgan Hill Times
March 2005
The City of Morgan Hill will hold a community meeting on March 14 to allow
the Urban Limit Line (ULL)/Greenbelt Study Committee to present their
work of the past two years. The resulting ULL is one that allows for over
2000 acres to be added to the current Urban Growth Boundary. Most of this
additional land is located in the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ) which is primarily
productive farmland. The landowners in the SEQ want to amend Measure C
to allow for additional homes to be built on their land. One of the original
goals of the committee was to look at the possibility of a 200-acre industrial
park off of Tennant and this mushroomed into a proposal for 1250 acres
of residential, commercial and industrial development off of Tennant and
abutting San Martin. Morgan Hill has hundreds of acres of vacant land
already within its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) therefore making this additional
land unnecessary. The feedback from the community meeting will be addressed
at one last meeting of the ULL Committee before the final draft is presented
to the City Council and Planning Commission.
March 12, 2005
Opinion:
Costly city project unneeded, Morgan Hill Times
March 12, 2005
Limit
line battle brews, Morgan Hill Times
March 11, 2005
Panel
drafts MH urban limit plan, Morgan Hill Times
February 2005
Morgan Hill's Urban Limit Line/greenbelt study committee, on which Greenbelt
Alliance has a seat, has completed its work after two years. The purpose
of the committee was to establish a long term Urban Limit Line (ULL),
beyond which land would be targeted for permanent acquisition. Greenbelt
Alliance as argued for a "tight" ULL that generally tracks the
existing Urban Growth Boundary. Unfortunately, the committee's recommendations
are not acceptable. In particular, the committee deferred the decision
over whether or not a 1,250 acre area known as the Southeast Quadrant
(SEQ) will be within the ULL to the City Council. SEQ landowners used
the ULL/greenbelt committee as a forum to advocate for the development
of the area. Greenbelt Alliance will continue to advocate for a tight
ULL as this issue moves on to the Planning Commission and City Council.
January 2005
The last meeting of Morgan Hill's Urban Limit Line study committee is
set for January 20th. This committee has been considering the creation
of an Urban Limit Line (ULL), beyond which land would be targeted for
permanent open space protection that is in addition to the existing Urban
Growth Boundary for the City. Greenbelt Alliance has been advocating for
the ULL and the UGB to be effectively co-terminus. However, some landowners
from an area know as the Southeast Quadrant have been pushing for the
ULL is include their land. Inclusion of the Southeast Quadrant would open
up 1,250 acres to development. The City's planning staff will be making
a report summarizing the committee's work over the past two years at the
committee's January 20th meeting. The report back will include the suggestion
that the Southeast Quadrant be open for development. However, since the
committee has not reached consensus around the Southeast Quadrant, it
does not appear that any firm recommendation will be sent to the City
Council from the committee. Greenbelt Alliance will continue to ask the
committee and the city council to respect the UGB and a final decision
on the establishment of an Urban Limit Line from the Morgan Hill City
Council is expected in Spring 2005.
November 2004
On November 8th, Morgan Hill's Urban Limit Line Committee met again, intending
this to be its last meeting before putting a proposal before the City
Council and Planning Commission. However, no agreement could be reached,
and the committee went back to the drawing board. At issue was a 1,250-acre
area outside the City's current urban growth boundary, known as the Southeast
Quadrant (SEQ). People who own land in this area want their land included
within the ULL, and want a plan for future development of the area. These
landowners have also asked about changing Measure C, which states that
only 250 new homes can be built each year. The SEQ landowners want to
increase the number to 350, with the 100-home difference to be built in
the SEQ. Since there is enough land within Morgan Hill's existing urban
growth boundary for at least 20 years of residential development, Greenbelt
Alliance believes there is no reason to expand the urban growth boundary
to include the SEQ, and no reason to plan for development of land that
is outside the boundary.
October 2004
At the last Urban Limit Line committee meeting, discussion on how to proceed
with the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ) became contentious. A subcommittee met
several times over the summer to establish a framework for planning in
the SEQ, but their recommendations were not agreed upon and discussion
will continue at the next ULL meeting on November 8th.
September 2004
The Urban Limit Line subcommittee charged with developing a plan for the
South Eastern Quadrant (SEQ) of Morgan Hill has begun to finish their
work. The SEQ is currently outside Morgan Hill's Urban Growth Boundary
(UGB), but inside the Sphere of Influence (SOI). The parcels in the SEQ
are all under county zoning and were subdivided to 10 acres sometime prior
to the 1940s. The SEQ subcommittee has been trying to decide on the best
course of action to prevent these 10-acre lots from developing into small
estate homes. The discussion has centered on establishing 2,000 housing
units, an area for industrial and commercial use, and approximately 500
acres for open space on about 1250 between the UGB and the SOI. Greenbelt
Alliance is opposed to planning for development on land outside the UGB
and has been working to communicate this position to City officials and
the ULL committee.
July 2004
In July, the Urban Limit Line subcommittee charged with developing a plan
for the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ) of Morgan Hill began meeting. The southern
area of Morgan Hill is still a highly contentious issue. Open space advocates
want a new ULL, outside of which lands would be targeted for permanent
protection, drawn close to the current UGB (Urban Growth Boundary). Property
owners in the area want to extend the new boundary to the Sphere of Influence
boundary where it meets the next community of San Martin. This committee
is chaired by Alex Kennett, a board member of the County Open Space Authority,
and is evenly split between landowners and environmentalists. We will
be working with the ULL committee to develop a plan for the SEQ that incorporates
a large amount of permanently protected open space.
June 2004
The June Urban Limit Line Advisory Committee meeting has been postponed
until July. At previous meetings, small parcels of land with unique characteristics
have been acted upon in the eastern and northwestern portions of Morgan
Hill. Those properties are small and constitute only a small portion of
the ULL. Presentations by the Santa Clara County Planning Department have
also discussed viewshed issues as well as large group assembly facilities
(most commonly churches).
April 2004
There have been no significant changes regarding the work of Morgan Hill's
Urban Limit Line Advisory Committee. Although landowners dominate the
ULL committee, the Urban Growth Boundary seems to be secure and the committee
continues to develop greenbelt policies to preserve lands around the Morgan
Hill.
March 2004
Greenbelt Alliance has been concerned that the City's Urban Limit Line
Advisory Committee, which is dominated by landowners, might be used as
a venue to effectively expand the city’s existing UGB. After much
work, the integrity of the UGB now seems secure and the committee seems
back on track toward developing greenbelt policies to preserve lands around
the city in perpetuity.
November 2003
The city's effort to create a permanent greenbelt around Morgan Hill threatens
to become a land grab by developers of a thousand acres or more. We are
working to uphold the current Urban Growth Boundary, minimize the amount
of land brought into consideration for future expansion, and to develop
greenbelt policies to preserve lands around the city in perpetuity. Several
stories in the local press have echoed our concerns that the composition
of this task force does not represent the majority interest of the people
of Morgan Hill and we are using this public forum to raise awareness about
the important decisions being made on this committee about the future
of Morgan Hill.
April 2003
Morgan Hill Urban Limit Line Advisory Study: Greenbelt Alliance is part
of a committee that is reviewing the city's current Urban Growth Boundary
with the possibility of making a permanent greenbelt around the city.
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