Morgan Hill General Plan
July 2001
Updated August 2005
Resolution 5937 Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
City Council Planning Commission
Dennis Kennedy, Mayor Barbara A. Sullivan, Chair
Greg Sellers, Mayor Pro Tempore Patricia A. McMahon, Vice Chair
Larry Carr Geno Acevedo
Hedy L. Chang Robert Benich
Steve Tate Ralph J. Lyle
Joseph Mueller
Past Member Charles Weston
Cynthia Cook Past Members
Yarmila Kennett, Tim Ridner
Dennis W. Pinion
Staff
J. Edward Tewes, City Manager
Helene Leichter, City Attorney
Jim Ashcroft, Director of Public Works
Curtis Banks, former Senior Planner/ Project Manager
David Bischoff, Director of Community Development/ Project Manager
Jack Dilles, Finance Director
Tony Eulo, Asst. to the City Manager
Steve Schwab, Police Chief
Julie Spier, Recreation Manager
Melissa Stevenson Dile, Interim Human Resources Manger/ Asst. to the City Mgr.
Irma Torrez, Council Services and Records Manager
Garrett Toy, Director of Business Assistance and Housing Services
General Plan Task Force
Hedy Chang ( City Council), Chair Robert Collins
Larry Carr ( City Council), Vice Chair John Dossetti
Ralph Lyle ( Planning Commission) Rocke Garcia
Patricia McMahon ( Planning Commission) Mark Grzan
Barbara Sullivan ( Planning Commission) Janet Martinez
Geno Acevedo Mark Moore
Patricia Andrade Martell Taylor
Robert Benich Craig Van Keulen
Laura Brunton Charles Weston
Past Members
Cynthia Cook ( City Council) Samuel Chuck
Steve Tate ( Planning Commission) Dean Flory
Wendy Bell Kyle Johnson
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July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Contents
Introduction......................................................................................... 1
The General Plan Vision......................................................................... 1
Plan Development................................................................................... 2
Key Planning Considerations.................................................................. 4
Goals, Policies and Actions..................................................................... 4
Organization and Content...................................................................... 5
General Plan Requirements.................................................................... 6
Glossary................................................................................................... 7
City Profile............................................................................................ 10
City History........................................................................................... 11
Community Development.................................................................. 13
Community Development Goals........................................................... 13
Land Use Diagram................................................................................. 13
Land Use Decisions............................................................................... 20
Development Patterns.......................................................................... 21
Urban Growth Boundary ( UGB).......................................................... 21
Incompatible Uses................................................................................. 24
Residential Development...................................................................... 24
Neighborhoods...................................................................................... 31
Commercial Development.................................................................... 32
Sub- regional Retail Uses....................................................................... 34
Industrial Development........................................................................ 35
Built Environment................................................................................. 36
Downtown............................................................................................. 38
Gateways............................................................................................... 39
Edges..................................................................................................... 40
Services................................................................................................. 41
Public Safety.......................................................................................... 42
Parks and Recreation............................................................................ 43
Schools.................................................................................................. 49
Sewer Capacity, Water Supply and Storm Drainage............................ 52
Economic Development..................................................................... 57
Economic Development Goals.............................................................. 58
Business and Employment Opportunities............................................. 58
Jobs and Housing................................................................................... 60
Tourism................................................................................................. 61 Page iii
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Circulation........................................................................................ 63
Circulation Goals.................................................................................. 63
Traffic and Transportation.................................................................... 63
Planned Transportation System............................................................ 64
Level of Service..................................................................................... 68
Bikeways................................................................................................ 77
Open Space and Conservation........................................................... 83
Open Space and Conservation Goals................................................... 83
Open Space........................................................................................... 83
Greenbelt............................................................................................... 85
Agriculture............................................................................................ 86
Hillside Areas........................................................................................ 88
Riparian Areas....................................................................................... 89
Plants and Wildlife................................................................................ 90
Conservation......................................................................................... 91
Historic Preservation............................................................................. 92
Public Health and Safety................................................................... 93
Public Health and Safety Goals............................................................. 93
Environmental Hazards......................................................................... 93
Hazardous Materials.............................................................................. 97
Flood Control........................................................................................ 99
Water Quality..................................................................................... 101
Noise................................................................................................... 103
Regional Coordination..................................................................... 111
Regional Coordination Goals.............................................................. 111
Urban Growth..................................................................................... 111
San Martin Development.................................................................... 113
Coyote Valley Development............................................................... 114
Joint Land Use Planning..................................................................... 115
Joint Planning Advisory Committee................................................... 117
Housing ( Updated 1990)................................................................. 119 Page iv
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Maps
Map 1. Land Use Diagram......................................................................... 18
Map 2. Monterey Road Area Land Use Diagram...................................... 19
Map 3. Park, Recreation and School Facilities.......................................... 45
Map 4. Circulation Plan............................................................................. 67
Map 5. Bikeways Plan................................................................................ 79
Map 6. Earthquake Faults and 100- year Floodplain.................................. 95
Map 7. Future Noise Contours................................................................ 105
Map 8. Potential Noise Contours for Circulation Study Areas................ 107
Tables
Table 1. General Plan Elements................................................................... 6
Table 2. Urban Land Use Designations..................................................... 14
Table 3. Population Projections................................................................. 25
Table 4. School District Enrollment.......................................................... 49
Table 5. Major Employers in Morgan Hill................................................. 57
Table 6. Employment Projections - Sphere of Influence............................ 57
Table 7. Level of Service Definitions......................................................... 68
Table 8. Designated Cultural Resources.................................................... 92
Table 9. Acceptable Noise Levels............................................................ 109
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July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Introduction
The General Plan Vision
The General Plan envisions Morgan Hill keeping its small- town character while offering new opportunities for businesses and amenities for residents. Agriculture will continue at the outskirts, and new housing for a range of incomes will be accommodated in a variety of locations. Urban land uses will be encouraged around the downtown, and incentives would foster infill development instead of sprawl.
The Plan calls for focusing sub- regional commerce around the freeway, and expanding downtown and neighborhood shopping areas. Efforts to avoid strip malls and concentrate new commercial enterprises around key intersections will help bolster existing businesses and foster new ones. The role of downtown as the community center will be strengthened by improving pedestrian access, adding streetscape amenities, and encouraging uses like restaurants and specialty retail.
To help diversify the local economy, light industry and research and development will be promoted in areas buffered from residential neighborhoods. New industry is hoped to increase employment opportunities and generate revenues.
The Plan foresees preserving the scenic hillsides that surround the city. Enhancing gateways to the city – Madrone, south Monterey Street, freeway interchanges – is also a high priority.
Unfinished street connections would be completed to improve circulation, speed emergency response and reduce traffic congestion. Improvements to roadway landscaping would make driving a more pleasant experience, and uses along major transportation corridors – railroad, highway, busy streets – would be shielded from noise through innovative construction measures.
Commercial design standards would be developed to improve the appearance of the city, and “ franchise architecture” would be discouraged.
The Plan anticipates coordinating with regional transportation authorities to relieve traffic impacts on city streets, including by widening the freeway and expanding public transit. A range of additional joint planning efforts will be needed to accommodate anticipated development, including major growth in Coyote Valley and some development in San Martin that could impact Morgan Hill. Accordingly, the Plan incorporates the policies in the South County Joint Area Plan adopted in 1994.
Public projects identified during a community visioning process in 1995 will be implemented. These include a new community and cultural center, a new or expanded public library, an aquatic center, and senior and youth centers. New
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Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
park and recreation programs and facilities and bikeways would also foster the sense of community and make the city more accessible.
In short, the overall combination of actions envisioned by the Plan will help Morgan Hill grow and prosper without compromising its historic and enduring rural charm.
Plan Development
In the fall of 1998, the City appointed a General Plan Task Force to oversee a major revision of the Morgan Hill General Plan. The Task Force – comprised of the Mayor Pro Tempore, one Council Member, three Planning Commissioners, and 14 community residents – conducted numerous public meetings, defined an expanded set of community goals, and prepared proposed updates to the General Plan text and maps that provide detailed discussion of community issues and develop policy direction in response to those issues.
The City hired planning and transportation consultants for technical assistance, including producing a survey of community opinions about planning and development issues. A Background and Existing Conditions Report was produced to document land use and circulation patterns, fiscal and economic conditions, urban design, natural resources and hazards, and public services and facilities.
Several forums were held to identify major planning issues in the community. Initially, the City hosted a Community Workshop in November 1998, where residents were asked to identify what they like and dislike about Morgan Hill, as well as changes they would make within the community.
The community’s vision for the future, as established during the forums, includes:
• Maintain the rural atmosphere of the city by retaining agricultural activities and preserving natural wildlife habitat areas surrounding the city.
• Develop an extensive network of trails and parks along local creeks, connecting open spaces and recreation facilities ( joint- use park and flood control agreements).
• Ensure the continued vitality of existing commercial centers throughout the community. Prohibit the construction of generic strip malls and eliminate blighted and/ or vacant properties along commercial corridors.
• Encourage the development of light industrial activities ( support for Silicon Valley industrial firms), but ensure that such industrial uses are buffered from residential neighborhoods.
• Develop new urban land uses concentrically around the existing core area; provide incentives for infill development of urban land uses.
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July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
• Improve the city’s gateway areas: Madrone district, Monterey Road south of Watsonville Road, and freeway interchanges at Cochrane, Dunne and Tennant Avenues.
• Continue to revitalize and expand the downtown as the activity center for the community.
• Continue working with regional transportation authorities to coordinate traffic management and lessen regional impacts on city roadways. Encourage CalTrans to expand Highway 101 through and north of the city, and expand public transit to and from the city.
• Improve and maintain landscaping and trees along roadways throughout the city.
• Provide employment opportunities with local businesses and industries, and housing choices affordable to those people who work in Morgan Hill.
• Increase community facilities and programs, both educational and recreational. Focus priorities on activities for seniors and youth within the community.
A Community Preferences Survey was distributed to 3,200 households in Morgan Hill. Survey respondents rated the acceptability of different types of development, the importance of several quality- of- life issues, the acceptability of various housing options, and the adequacy of and need for public services and facilities. Major planning preferences identified by the community include the need to/ for:
• Increase local shopping opportunities
• Joint planning, especially in light of projected build- out of Coyote Valley and San Martin
• Improvements to community gateways
• Increase local employment and remedy discrepancies between labor force demographics and types of jobs available
• Preserve rural character, open space, creeks and hillsides
• Improve architecture and design of commercial uses, especially along the freeway
• Increase residential architectural diversity
• Provide detached single family housing
• Mitigate noise impacts of major transportation corridors ( railroad, highway, arterials)
• Reduce regional traffic congestion and complete unfinished roadway connections
• Expand parks and recreation facilities and programs
• Ensure the fiscal viability of City government
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Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Key Planning Considerations
In 1980 the City adopted the Downtown Design Plan. The plan includes specific recommendations for land use and design of public and private projects in the area bounded by Main Avenue on the north, Dunne Avenue on the south, the railroad tracks on the east and Peak Avenue on the west. Many of the projects recommended by the plan ( including parking lots, streetscape improvements and private development projects) have been implemented. Other aspects of the Plan are out of date or otherwise not feasible.
In 1977, Morgan Hill first adopted the Residential Development Control System ( RDCS) through voter initiative Measure E. An amended version of this growth management system, Measure P, was approved by voters in 1990 to extend through 2010. In 2004, the voters approved Measure C, amending and extending the Residential Development Control System through the year 2020. A part of the General Plan, the RDCS regulates growth by limiting the number of new homes approved each year. The RDCS directs that the City shall not apply to LAFCO to expand the Urban Service Area ( except for projects determined to be " desirable infill") until less than a five- year supply of buildable residential land remains, nor shall the City grant new extensions of urban services for residences beyond the Urban Service Area.
New residential development proposals are subject to a two- part rating system, with those proposals earning the highest number of points receiving development allotments. Part 1 awards points for a proposed project’s relation to and impact on local public facilities and services, while Part 2 allots additional points for such factors as the provision and design quality of parks and open space, public facilities, architectural and site features, and affordable housing units.
Measure C requires the basic RDCS provisions to be included in the General Plan; they appear in the Land Use Section of the Community Development Element. These provisions cannot be amended, except by another public vote. Measure C is approved through 2020, this General Plan assumes that the maximum construction rate under Measure C of about 250 units per year will continue through 2020.
The General Plan incorporates the policies of the South County Joint Area Plan ( as amended through 1994), as noted in each element with parenthetical references to specific Joint Area Plan sections. The plan was adopted in 1989 to achieve harmony and cooperation among the City of Morgan Hill, the City of Gilroy and Santa Clara County, and consistency among their adopted policies regarding community development and environmental management. The City and its partners have agreed that many of these policies need to be updated, some because they are no longer applicable due to recent changes in State law.
Goals, Policies and Actions
The goals, policies and actions contained in each element of the General Plan together frame a mechanism for achieving the community’s vision for its future.
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July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
A review of the goals offers a summary of how development and future growth must be directed to achieve the community vision. Each goal identifies a physical, economic and/ or social end that the community wishes to achieve.
Under each General Plan goal are a number of policies that establish basic courses of action that the Planning Commission and City Council will follow in working to achieve community goals. Policies are used directly to guide the response of elected and appointed officials to development proposals and related community actions.
Although each General Plan goal requires specific policies, not every policy requires new action to carry out that policy. Many policies – especially those that continue the direction of the General Plan ( as most recently updated) and the South County Joint Area Plan, already are being implemented. Policies that are complete show no associated actions.
Organization and Content
The Morgan Hill General Plan is organized into eight sections, including six updated elements that contain issue, goal and policy discussions to satisfy legal requirements ( see Table 1). The Housing Element, last updated in 1990, is scheduled for updating in 2001.
• Introduction – summarizes the General Plan and its goals, the community’s Vision for its future. Includes a profile and history of the city, major planning issues, and regional context.
• Community Development Element – includes sections addressing development patterns, residential neighborhoods, community character, recreation and public facilities.
• Economic Development Element – includes sections addressing commercial and industrial land uses, jobs/ housing balance, and tourism.
• Circulation Element – includes sections addressing traffic, street network, parking, transit services and bike routes.
• Open Space and Conservation Element – includes sections addressing open space, hillside development, greenbelts, agriculture and historic resources.
• Public Health and Safety Element – includes sections addressing development in hazardous areas, hazardous waste management, seismicity, flood control, water quality, and noise.
• Regional Coordination Element – includes sections addressing urban growth, jobs/ housing balance, San Martin, Coyote Valley, future joint planning, and long- term urban growth boundary.
• Housing Element – scheduled for update in 2001.
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Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Table 1. General Plan Elements
Morgan Hill
GP Elements
Required GP Elements
Examples of Topics Covered
Community Development
Land Use
development patterns, residential neighborhoods, community character, recreation, public facilities
Economic Development
optional
commercial and industrial land uses, economic diversification, job opportunities, tourism
Circulation
Circulation
traffic, street network, parking, transit services, bike routes
Open Space and Conservation
Conservation, Open Space
open space, hillside development, riparian areas, endangered plants and animals, greenbelt, agriculture, historic resources
Public Health and Safety
Noise,
Safety
development in hazardous areas, hazardous waste management, seismicity, flood control, water quality, noise
Regional Coordination
optional
urban growth, phasing of development, San Martin and Coyote Valley, future joint planning, long- term urban growth boundary
Housing
Housing
scheduled for 2001 update
General Plan Requirements
The California Constitution allows cities to regulate land use planning, zoning, subdivision and building on private property to promote the health, safety and welfare of the general public. State law requires each city to prepare and adopt a “ comprehensive, long- term General Plan for the physical development” of the community. Intended to guide local decision- making regarding future growth, the General Plan expresses community goals about the future distribution and character of land uses and activities, both public and private.
The plan should be comprehensive, by both covering the local jurisdiction’s entire planning area and addressing the broad range of issues facing the community, including physical, social, aesthetic and economic concerns. The General Plan must also be internally consistent, bearing no policy conflicts between the elements, both required and optional. Finally, the General Plan must be a long- term document, establishing development policies to serve as the basis for day- to- day land use decision- making within an approximate 20- year time frame.
Because planning and development issues do not follow political boundaries, the law provides for including in the General Plan " any land outside its boundaries which, in the planning agency's judgment, bears relation to its planning." The Morgan Hill General Plan covers the incorporated area of the city and the City's Sphere of Influence. Established by the County Local Agency Formation Commission ( LAFCO), the Sphere of Influence denotes an area under Santa Clara County jurisdiction where the City has a shared concern regarding land use and development. Within the Sphere of Influence lie the City's Urban Growth Boundary – where urban land uses are anticipated in the next 20 years, and the
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July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Urban Services Area – where the City expects to provide essential services within the near future, such as water, sewer and law enforcement.
The General Plan must include policies for each of the following elements:
• Land use, designating the general distribution and intensity of land uses, including housing, business, industry, open space, education, and public facilities, etc.
• Circulation, identifying the general location and nature of existing and proposed highways, arterial and collector roadways, transit terminals, and other transportation facilities.
• Conservation, addressing the conservation and use of natural and cultural resources, including wetlands, forests, rivers, archeological remnants, and historic structures.
• Housing, assessing the current and projected housing needs of all segments of the community and identifying land to provide adequate housing to meet such needs.
• Noise, identifying and appraising the noise sources within the community and developing ways to mitigate such nuisances.
• Open Space, detailing techniques for preserving open space areas for natural resources, outdoor recreation, public health and safety, and agricultural activities.
• Safety, establishing policies to protect the community from risks associated with seismic, geologic, flood, and fire hazards.
Recent Morgan Hill General Plan updates focused on land use and circulation ( 1990), housing ( 1992) and the City's Urban Growth Boundary ( 1996).
Glossary
Action
A specific activity or task designed to carry out a policy.
Arterial
A roadway that typically accommodates 10,000- 40,000 intra- community and highway access vehicle trips daily at speeds of 30- 40 mph. Access to arterials is preferred via collector and local streets, but direct access to adjoining parcels is common.
Capital Improvements Program
A program, administered by City government and reviewed by the Planning Commission, that schedules permanent physical improvements five or six years into the future.
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Collector
A street that typically accommodates 5,000- 20,000 vehicle trips daily at speeds of 25- 30 mph within and between neighborhoods. Collectors are intended to distribute trips from local streets to arterials.
Compatible
Capable of existing together without conflict or ill effects.
Density
The average number of people or residential dwelling units per acre, including land needed for streets.
Downtown
The commercial area around Monterey Road from Main Avenue to Dunne Avenue, and from Del Monte Avenue to Depot Street.
Dwelling Unit
A room or group of rooms ( including sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation facilities, but not more than one kitchen) that constitutes an independent housekeeping unit, occupied or intended for occupancy by one household on a long- term basis.
Goal
An ultimate end toward which effort is directed. A goal is general, long- term and not usually achievable within the General Plan time frame.
General Plan
An expression in words and maps of City policy regarding future development based on the needs and desires of its citizens. It sets forth development guidelines needed to achieve social, economic and environmental goals. The General Plan is the official document governing City Council, Planning Commission and administrative decisions regarding zoning, subdivision and public improvements.
Infill
Development of vacant land in areas largely already developed.
Infrastructure
Public services and facilities such as roads, sewage treatment and water supply systems, and other utilities.
Local Agency Formation Commission ( LAFCO)
A County body that reviews and evaluates all proposals for formation of special districts, incorporation of cities, consolidation of districts, mergers of districts and cities, certain annexations to cities, and urban growth boundaries and urban service areas.
Minimize
To reduce or lessen, but not necessarily to eliminate.
Mitigate
To ameliorate, alleviate or avoid to the extent reasonably feasible.
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July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Noise Contour
A map line connecting points of equal noise level.
Open Space
An area of land or water that is essentially unimproved and devoted to 1) preservation of natural resources, 2) managed production of resources, 3) outdoor recreation, or 4) public health and safety.
Park and Recreation Facilities
All land in City- owned trails, parks, and special use facilities ( including community, senior, youth and aquatic centers), in school or County- owned recreational facilities with a joint- use agreement for City use; plus half of all recreational land controlled by homeowner associations, and ten percent of recreational open space, as defined in the Parks, Facilities and Recreation Programming Master Plan.
Policy
A settled course of action that, when adopted, is an official statement of City intent.
Sphere of Influence ( SOI)
The probable ultimate physical boundaries and service area of the City, as determined by LAFCO.
Standard
An established rule or measurement that defines required or desirable performance or relationships.
Sub- regional
Pertaining to or serving a portion of a region larger than any one city.
Urban Growth Boundary
An officially adopted and mapped line dividing land to be developed from land to be protected for natural or rural uses, including agriculture. UGBs are regulatory tools, often designated for 20 or more years to provide greater certainty for both development and conservation goals.
Urban Service Area
The area within the Sphere of Influence where utilities such as gas, water, sewer, and electricity, and public services such as police, fire, schools, and parks and recreation are and will be provided.
Zoning
Division of the city into areas for which allowable uses and building limitations are specified.
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City Profile
Morgan Hill lies about 20 miles south of downtown San Jose along U. S. Highway 101 in southern Santa Clara County. The city is set in a valley formed by the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west, and the Mount Hamilton Range to the east. Historically an agricultural community, Morgan Hill has grown into a small city with a quaint downtown and high- quality residential neighborhoods. Open hillside areas, numerous creeks, and surrounding agriculture create a feeling of rural open space within the city.
Monterey Road, the major north- south arterial, served as Highway 101 for many years and remains the city’s major commercial corridor. ( Although it is formally mapped as Monterey “ Street” in the city, locals refer to the historic thoroughfare as Monterey “ Road.”) Over the last two decades, the downtown has been revitalized and expanded along Monterey Road, between Main Street and Dunne Avenue. Significant streetscape and façade improvements and amenities have made the downtown a more pedestrian- friendly core, with community events, such as holiday parades, concerts and a farmers market, utilizing the downtown as a center of activities.
Regional Location
Although a diverse mix of retail, service, and office uses exist along Monterey Road, there are also a number of vacant and underutilized parcels. Visitor- serving and sub- regional commercial activity has built up around two of the three freeway interchanges about a mile east.
Small high- tech support firms and manufacturing plants comprise a majority of the industrial land uses in Morgan Hill, which have historically been located along the railroad tracks in the city, between Monterey Road and Highway 101. Several industrial parks, including the 400- acre Morgan Hill Ranch along Cochrane Road, are currently under development.
The voter- approved Residential Development Control System ( RDCS) allows a limited number of homes to be built each year, according to a point system based on a variety of factors, including provision of public services, site planning, and architectural design considerations. High- quality residential neighborhoods have resulted from the process. Small pocket parks, natural creek channels, and detention ponds are scattered throughout the city’s residential areas.
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Agricultural use continues in the lands surrounding the city. Large- lot ranch homes, natural open space parcels, and minimally developed hillsides also contribute to the community’s rural character. The City plans to preserve those open space and agricultural lands to maintain this rural atmosphere.
City History
Situated in the southern Santa Clara Valley, the land where the City of Morgan Hill currently exists was first inhabited by Native Americans known as the Ohlone ( Costanoan). Spanish colonists began arriving in the west central region of California in 1769, and among the earliest settlements were a presidio and mission at Monterey ( 1770) and a mission and civilian town at Santa Clara ( 1777). The road connecting these two missions survives today as Monterey Street.
Between the 1820s and 1840s, Mission Santa Clara lands were partitioned into private ranchos. Morgan Hill lies within the historic boundaries of the 9,000 acre Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche, granted in 1835 to Juan Maria Hernandez, and purchased by Martin Murphy Sr., an Irish- born pioneer, in 1845. The first settlements in the southern Santa Clara Valley were established in the 1850s along Monterey Road, largely in response to the Gold Rush in the San Francisco Bay region. Among the earliest permanent buildings were inns, livery stables, and blacksmith shops, centered on the intersection of Peebles Avenue and Monterey Road.
Santa Clara County ranked as one of the region’s earliest and most productive agricultural centers, famed for its grains, fruits, and vegetables. Cattle ranches in the southern Santa Clara Valley were replaced by diversified agriculture in the 1860s and 1870s, including the cultivation of apricots, peaches, prunes, pears, cherries, grapes, walnuts, almonds, olives, garlic, and tomatoes. By the 1870s, the Madrone village boasted a hotel, general store, livery stable, post office, school, and church along with its stagecoach stop. The Santa Clara & Pajaro Valley Railroad opened its first rail line through the area, from San Jose to Gilroy, in 1869.
In 1882, approximately 4,500 acres of the old Rancho Ojo de Agua de la Coche was passed down to Diana Murphy ( granddaughter of Martin Murphy Sr.). That same year, she married Hiram Morgan Hill, a San Francisco socialite. Morgan and Diana Hill entertained lavishly, and trains would often stop at the ranch to let off guests. The stop became known informally as “ Morgan Hill.” In 1892, the Hills retained the C. H. Phillips Land Company of San Jose to act as agents for the subdivision and sale of Morgan Hill Ranch. The property was disposed of in parcels ranging in size from five acres to 100 acres, and a downtown and new train station were established under the name “ Morgan Hill.”
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The town developed rapidly in the 1890s, streets were improved, and a water system was installed. A post office was established in 1893, and a newspaper began publication in 1894. By the turn of the century, the thriving village contained dozens of houses, three churches, a schoolhouse, a commercial district with two hotels and three general stores, and a small industrial enclave near the railroad with a cannery and fruit- packing plant. Monterey Road and Main Street served as the major north- south and east- west axes of the town. Morgan Hill was incorporated in 1906, with a population of about 600. The town of Morgan Hill grew slowly over the next few decades, numbering about 1,000 residents in 1940.
Following World War II, the Santa Clara Valley sustained rapid growth as agricultural lands gave way to residential, commercial and industrial development. In 1950, Morgan Hill had 1,600 residents; however, land annexation and residential subdivision development since then has brought thousands more residents to the area. Monterey Road continued to be developed as the city’s major commercial corridor, while industrial activity continued along the railroad tracks.
With the opening of U. S. Highway 101 in the late 1970s, southern Santa Clara County became more attractive to suburban commuters. By then, the city’s population reached 17,000, residents and growth has remained steady over the last two decades due to adoption of the Residential Development Control System. Increased traffic along Highway 101 has led to highway commercial activity at the interchanges, and a large industrial park was developed in the northern portion of the city. Residential subdivision activity has continued, and estimates place the city population at 33,092 in 2000.
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Community Development
The Community Development element discusses land use, community character and public facilities. It contains goals and policies intended to ensure that Morgan Hill retains its rural atmosphere while accommodating sensible, orderly growth that will promote the local economy and fit within the City’s ability to provide adequate public services. Such growth will include increased residential and commercial development, as well as an influx of new industrial uses, that together will result in a variety of uses with minimum conflict and maximum protection of the community's quality of life.
Community Development Goals
1. An effective and efficient planning and decision- making process
2. An orderly and efficient pattern of urban development
3. A long- term urban growth boundary ( UGB) around the city
4. Efficient and appropriate development of land within the UGB
5. Preservation of agricultural and open space uses on unincorporated lands outside the UGB
6. Avoidance of incompatible land uses and conflicting activities
7. A variety of housing types and densities available to all residents
8. Distinct, well- designed residential neighborhoods
9. Sufficient and concentrated commercial uses
10. Sub- regional retail at freeway interchanges
11. Adequate land for industrial development
12. A visually attractive urban environment
13. A vibrant, identifiable downtown
14. Distinct, attractive gateways to the community
15. Appropriate transition between urban land uses and surrounding undeveloped areas
16. An urban level of services and facilities
17. Efficient police, fire and emergency medical response and services
18. Useful, accessible and high- quality park, recreation and trail facilities and programs
19. Coordinated urban and school development
20. Efficient wastewater treatment
21. Effective management of water resources
22. Minimal local drainage problems
Land Use Diagram
The Community Development Element designates the general distribution of land uses, including housing, business, industry, open space and public facilities within the city’s Sphere of Influence. Map 1 divides Morgan Hill into a series of residential and non- residential land use designations, and Map 2 shows designation boundaries in detail for the Monterey Road corridor. These designations identify the locations in the city where specific types of land uses
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Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
may occur. While the designations are implemented ( carried out on a day- to- day basis) by the specific rules provided for each zoning district in the City's Zoning Ordinance, the General Plan provides the overall parameters of density and intensity for urban land use designations, as shown in Table 2.
Density refers to the number of dwelling units allowed per gross acre of land ( prior to dedications for streets and other improvements). Intensity of land use is expressed in two ways – type of use and building mass – both of which are described broadly in Table 2. The types of land uses allowed in each designation are described here in general terms; the Zoning Ordinance provides detailed lists of specific allowable uses. In addition to the primary land uses appropriate in each designation, the Zoning Ordinance may allow secondary uses that are related to and compatible with the primary uses.
+ Table 2. Urban Land Use Designation
Land Use
Designations
Acres
Primary
Uses
Density
Range
Minimum
Lot Area
Maximum Building Coverage
Maximum Building Height
Residential Estate
1,216
Detached homes
< 1 unit/ acre
40,000 sf
30%
30 feet
Single Family Low
1,279
Detached homes
1- 3 units/ acre
12,000 sf
40%
30 feet
Single Family Medium
1,801
Detached homes
3- 5 units/ acre
7,000 sf
50%
30 feet
Multi- Family Low
531
Detached and attached homes
5- 14 units/ acre
6,000 sf
50%
30 feet
Multi- Family Medium
171
Attached homes
14- 21
units/ acre
6,000 sf
60%
30 feet
Multi- Family
High
7
Attached homes
21- 40 units/ acre
6,000 sf
60%
48 feet
Commercial
454
Retail, office, services
N/ A
20,000 sf
50%
30 feet
Non- Retail Comm'l
36
Offices, services
N/ A
6,000 sf
50%
35 feet
General Commercial
24
Retail, office, services
N/ A
10,000 sf
50%
35 feet
Mixed Use
50
Attached homes mixed with retail, office, services
8- 18 units/ acre Opportunity Sites 25- 40 units/ acre
( Commercial)
10,000 sf
( Residential)
6,000 sf
60%
Com. 35 feet
Res. 48 feet
Industrial
1,112
Warehouse, offices, manufacturing
N/ A
20,000 sf
60%
50 feet
Office Industrial
26
Offices, R& D, wholesale
N/ A
20,000 sf
50%
50 feet
Campus Industrial
18
High- tech, R& D
N/ A
20 acres
20%
35 feet
Public Facilities
253
Publicly owned
N/ A
N/ A
50%
35 feet
Page 14 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
The city is characterized by semi- rural areas with residential and agricultural uses, residential neighborhoods, commercial areas, and roadway corridors where residential and non- residential uses are mixed. The land use goals and policies of the General Plan are oriented toward maintaining the distinct neighborhoods and the downtown – recognizing them as vital in determining community character, while providing new opportunities for businesses that provide quality jobs and needed goods and services. Higher- intensity uses are intended to be concentrated near major intersections, with the land uses in surrounding areas becoming progressively less intense as the distance from those commercial nodes increases.
The following paragraphs describe how the General Plan divides Morgan Hill into areas designated for different types of land use.
Rural Designations
Rural County. This designation applies to 8,088 acres outside the city limit in the Sphere of Influence. Lots with the Rural County designation generally are 5- 20 acres with one single family home and/ or agricultural operation per parcel. Five acres is generally the minimum acceptable lot size for new development.
Open Space. Public parks and private golf courses account for most of the 2,476 acres of Open Space designation in the city and Sphere of Influence. These areas generally are intended to remain free of development, except for one single- family home on each lot of at least five acres on slopes less than 20 percent. Land designated Open Space is meant to remain unimproved and devoted to preservation of natural resources, managed production of resources, outdoor recreation, or public health and safety. Several key pieces of Open Space complement adjacent, higher density residential and commercial development. Measure C requires lands within the City that are designated “ Open Space” on the City’s General Plan Land Use/ Circulation Elements Map, as amended through November 19, 2003, are reaffirmed and readopted through fiscal year 2019/ 2020. This provision shall not prevent the City Council from designating additional lands as open space.
Residential Designations
Residential Estate. This designation, which applies to 1,216 acres, is intended to promote and encourage a suitable environment for family living on relatively large parcels of land. Concentrated along the western and southern city borders, the Residential Estate designation limits uses to single family homes, appropriate agricultural uses, and appurtenant community services and facilities. One acre is generally the minimum acceptable parcel size for new development. Residential LandMF Developed408 ac8% SF Vacant 2103 ac42% SF Developed 2193 ac44% MF Vacant294 ac6%
Single Family Low. The Single Family Low designation covers 1,279 acres of the city and is intended to accommodate families in suburban single family homes Community Development Page 15
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
on medium- sized parcels. The highest concentrations of the Single Family Low designation are at the eastern city limit, especially near Anderson Reservoir. The minimum acceptable parcel size for new development is generally 1/ 4- acre.
Single Family Medium. Single Family Medium areas totaling 1,801 acres are dispersed throughout the city, often providing a transition from non- residential areas to lower- density neighborhoods. The largest areas with this designation are centered around East Dunne Avenue, and West Main Avenue between U. S. 101 and the railroad. This designation allows as many as five dwelling units per acre.
Multi- Family Low. Applied to 531 acres, the Multi- Family Low designation is meant to accommodate both attached and detached dwellings in residential neighborhoods. Multi- Family Low areas generally are located close to commercial corridors, including West Dunne Avenue and Monterey Road.
Multi- Family Medium. Pockets of Multi- Family Medium, the highest- density residential designation, account for 171 acres primarily centered around the downtown area. Frequently found near commercial areas that in part serve the adjacent residents, this designation accommodates as many as 21 dwelling units per acre, most of which are attached apartments or condominiums.
Multi- Family High. Pockets of Multi- Family High, the highest- density residential designation, accounts for 6.49 acres primarily centered around the downtown area and the commuter rail station. Development within this area shall be supportive of transit oriented design ( e. g., development intensity, pedestrian orientation and linkages, parking placement and design, development concentrations, etc.) this designation may accommodate as many as 35 dwelling units per acre most of which would be attached apartments or condominiums.
Mixed Use. Applied in accordance with the Downtown Plan, this designation covers 68 acres of smaller parcels with the downtown area. It is intended to encourage a mixture of commercial and residential uses. The mixed use designation allows for as many at 8 to 18 dwellings units per acre with the exception of three opportunity sites which are defined as follows:
The “ Sunsweet Opportunity Site” which encompasses APN’s 726- 13- 032, 033, 034, 041, 042, 043 & 044 shall be designed as a single Planned Unit Development, showing relationship between development and parking areas, with development to occur at a density of 25- 40 dwelling units per acre for the area within a mixed use project site ( exclusive of APNs 726- 13- 034 & 726- 13- 041, and areas designed for public parking).
The “ Dunne Ave. PUD” which encompasses APN’s 726- 04- 003, 006, 007, 008, 011 & 012. Each of which shall develop at a density of 25- 40 du/ ac, only as part of single Planned Unit Development.
The parking lot area for the Downtown Mall which encompasses APN’s 726- 14- 025, 026 & 03, shall develop at a density of 25- 40 du/ ac, only as part of a single Planned Unit Development.
Page 16 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Non- Residential Designations
Commercial. The Commercial designation, which accounts for 454 acres primarily along arterial roadways west of U. S. 101 and along the eastern freeway frontage, is intended to allow a wide range of retail businesses, office uses and professional services. The largest concentrations are found along Monterey Road and at the freeway interchanges, where retail stores are emphasized. The Service Commercial overlay along Monterey Road north of Wright Avenue allows auto- related uses, except for sales.
Non- Retail Commercial. This designation applies to 36 acres along Monterey Road between Llagas Road and Tennant Avenue. The Non- Retail Commercial designation is intended to focus service and office uses away from major intersections where the Commercial designation encourages higher traffic generating retail uses. It also accommodates mixed- use development ( residences above shops) to help create a market for local stores and a neighborhood atmosphere in the downtown.
General Commercial. This designation accounts for 24 acres of the Morgan Hill Business Ranch on the south side of Cochrane Road at the freeway. The General Commercial designation is intended to allow a variety of commercial uses. ( The designation was established by voter initiative and cannot be changed without a public vote.)
List continues on page 20
Community Development Page 17
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Map 1: Land Use Diagram link Page 18 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Community Development Page 19
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Mixed Use. Applied in accordance with the Downtown Design Plan, this designation covers 68 acres of smaller parcels in the downtown area. It is intended to encourage a mixture of retail uses and residences.
Industrial. The Industrial designation accounts for 1,112 acres within the Urban Growth Boundary, including 350 acres of newly designated land, much of which was previously designated for residential uses. A variety of existing and potential research, warehouse, manufacturing, service commercial and other uses are accommodated under this designation.
Office Industrial. Two areas of Office Industrial designation cover 26 acres along U. S. 101 near the Dunne Avenue interchange. These areas are intended to promote administrative and executive office uses, including experimental and engineering laboratories devoted exclusively to basic research and development ( provided they meet certain standards for handling of any hazardous materials).
Campus Industrial. The Campus Industrial designation applies to 18 acres northwest of the Tennant Avenue interchange, where clean industry such as high- technology and medical services are encouraged to locate in park- like settings that contain large areas of landscaping.
Public Facilities. The 253 acres designated for Public Facilities is comprised of land used by the City, service providers ( including emergency medical, hospitals and utility companies) and the Morgan Hill Unified School District. The General Plan does not anticipate any changes to this designation.
Land Use Decisions
Encouraging future growth to occur in and around existing developed areas of the city will increase the likelihood that a high level of services and amenities will be available for residents and visitors.
Goal 1. An effective and efficient planning and
decision- making process
Policies
1a. Ensure that City decisions regarding planning are reached in a comprehensive, coordinated manner.
Actions
1.1 Amend City ordinances, programs and plans ( e. g., zoning, parking, capital improvements) to conform to amendments or revisions to the policies of the Community Development Element.
1.2 Develop a comprehensive municipal service and capital improvement program for 5- and 20- year time periods. Detailed service and utility planning shall be done for a 5- year time span.
1.3 Review the General Plan annually to determine what progress is being made toward achieving the Plan's goals and policies.
1.4 Schedule General Plan updates to coincide with U. S. Census data updates.
Page 20 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
1.5 Work with other governmental agencies to reach consensual and coordinated approach to future community development tasks ( also see Regional Coordination Element).
Development Patterns
Of the approximately 21,700 acres within the Morgan Hill planning area ( 17,527 of which are contained in parcels), less than 3,400 acres are developed with residential, commercial or industrial uses. The General Plan provides for an additional 3,400 acres of urban development. Development is expected to follow the existing land use pattern and expand into new areas where growth is most likely to create the desired community. Maps 1 and 2 show locations planned for urban uses.
Goal 2. An orderly and efficient pattern of development
Policies
2a. Encourage the orderly development of the city, with concentric growth and infill of existing developed areas.
2b. Ensure that facility/ service standards can be met for new development by the time of occupancy.
2c. Consider land within or adjacent to the city as available for urban development only when it is included within the Urban Service Area and Urban Growth Boundary and can be developed in a manner that will be cost- effective to the City.
2d. Plan for the needs of all socioeconomic segments of the community, encouraging self- sufficiency in jobs and housing within the city.
Actions
2.1 Use the current Urban Service Area and Urban Growth boundaries to identify future urban development areas based on adequacy and availability of municipal services.
2.2 Include enough land within the Urban Service Area to provide for a minimum of 5 years of urban growth; review and modify the Urban Service Area boundaries as needed.
Urban Growth Boundary ( UGB)
In 1996 the City Council adopted a long- term Urban Growth Boundary ( UGB), which differentiates land within the Sphere of Influence intended for future urbanization from land intended to remain rural and unincorporated for the next 20 years. Prior to urbanization, large- parcel uses, including farming, are encouraged on land inside the UGB but outside the city. Agricultural and open space uses are preserved on all lands outside of the UGB.
Agriculture has been important to the city as an industry and employment generator throughout its history, in addition to contributing to the city’s rural character. Agricultural development policies intend to retain the historic agricultural character of lands surrounding Morgan Hill, and to minimize conflicts between urban development and agricultural uses.
Community Development Page 21
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Goal 3. A long- term urban growth boundary around the city
Policies
3a. The Urban Growth Boundary ( UGB) should be maintained for the City of Morgan Hill, in order to: a) differentiate lands within the Morgan Hill Sphere of Influence ( SOI) intended for future urbanization from those intended to remain rural and unincorporated over an approximately 20 year time period; b) provide greater stability of future land use patterns than is currently provided by the existing " short term" urban service area ( USA) boundaries; c) indicate the preferred extent and direction of the city's future urban expansion and capital improvements planning, consistent with the City general plan; d) encourage compact and concentric urban growth and development; e) promote fiscal responsibility, cost- effective service delivery, and the City's ability to plan for and adequately maintain urban services over time; f) provide for an adequate land supply necessary for sustainable economic growth; g) compensate for the impacts of the city's historical patterns of urban growth; h) achieve greater compatibility of land use planning and decision- making for lands of mutual interest to the City and County; and i) provide additional certainty to rural landowners needed for purposes of planning investments and maintaining viable agricultural operations.
3b. Allow Urban Service Area expansions only within the long- term UGB and for lands with urban designations; the timing and extent of Urban Service Area expansion shall remain consistent with established Urban Service Area expansion policies and ordinances. ( Note: Residential Estate and Single Family Low lands outside the UGB south of Watsonville Road are anticipated to provide needed residential development beyond the timeframe of this General Plan update, while maintaining the option of establishing a greenbelt in that area.)
3c. Include developed unincorporated lands in the UGB when they provide for a logical extension of the boundary and are consistent with established planning criteria, findings, or prerequisites.
Actions
3.1 Maintain a long- term urban growth boundary.
3.2 County staff and decision- makers shall have adequate opportunity to participate in the evaluation of proposals to modify the city's UGB – the relative level of participation to be in keeping with the geographic scale or impact of the proposed UGB changes ( i. e., major revisions imply more significant role for joint City/ County coordination; very minor or insignificant modifications would imply a potentially less significant role for joint City/ County coordination).
3.3 Establish explicit, objective planning criteria, findings, or prerequisites for considering proposals to modify the UGB location, which are reasonable and consistent with the goals, precedent, and spirit of the current South County Joint Area Plan. These may include but are not limited to standards for adequate land supply reserves, availability and levels of urban services, consistency with circulation and other plan elements, demographic projections, and resource conservation criteria.
Page 22 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
3.4 Evaluate future proposals to modify the UGB according to established criteria, findings or prerequisites, particularly considering stability and dependability factors, such as the need to maintain a 20- year supply on average of available land for accommodating projected growth. To ensure coordination between relevant land use planning issues and growth management considerations, do not reconsider the UGB location more frequently than in conjunction with a comprehensive City General Plan Update every 10 years or so, unless triggered by the established criteria, findings, or prerequisites. Reevaluation of the UGB location may be necessary in conjunction with the greenbelt study to be undertaken in 2002.
3.5 Compare actual and assumed growth rates every five years and re- establish a 20- to- 25- year supply whenever the available land supply within the existing long term urban growth boundary is less than 20 years worth of developable land.
3.6 Require consistency of all future proposals to modify the UGB with applicable policies of the City's and County's General Plan, particularly concerning Countywide urban growth management.
Goal 4. Efficient and appropriate development
of land within the UGB
Policies
4a. Support the County’s policy to avoid land uses and development in the unincorporated areas which would potentially conflict with future annexation and the optimal utilization of lands within the UGB. Also encourage the County to Retain large minimum parcel sizes, and promote agricultural and open space uses on unincorporated lands.
4b. Support the County’s policy to avoid premature road and infrastructure extensions in the unincorporated areas which would potentially conflict with optimal street configurations and development patterns within the UGB.
Goal 5. Preservation of agricultural and open space uses
on unincorporated lands outside the UGB
Policies
5a. Promote the maintenance of current County General Plan policies encouraging low- density uses, including large lots and agriculture, for County projects adjacent to the UGB.
5b. Retain current Rural County and Open Space land use designations in the City's General Plan, applicable to rural unincorporated lands outside the UGB.
5c. Support the County's effort to promote the use of expanded home occupations for rural landowners and agriculturists, within the parameters of the County's zoning ordinance.
5d. Coordinate measures to enhance the economic viability of agriculture in conjunction with other inter- jurisdictional planning in the South County.
Community Development Page 23
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Actions
5.1 Explore and implement various measures to enhance the economic viability of agriculture, including by maintaining the City's Right- to- Farm Ordinance.
5.2 Work with Santa Clara County to minimize potential land use conflicts between urban uses within the UGB and rural lands adjacent to the growth boundary.
5.3 Work with Santa Clara County to reach consensual agreement regarding the expansion of the city's urban area and permanent preservation of greenbelts in unincorporated areas surrounding the city.
5.4 Support the County’s policy to prohibit the introduction of Roadside Services land use designations on unincorporated lands within the City’s Sphere of Influence.
Incompatible Uses
Goal 6. Avoidance of incompatible land uses
and conflicting activities
Policies
6a. Avoid development in areas of natural hazards such as landslide and flood prone areas ( see related policies in Open Space and Conservation and Public Safety Elements).
6b. Encourage the clustering of residential units to provide open space and recreation areas, and to provide buffer areas between different land uses ( e. g., industrial and residential).
6c. Evaluate potential impacts of development projects on adjacent uses in initial environmental assessments and EIRs.
Actions
6.1 Use setbacks, natural and man- made barriers such as streams, park land, and drainage ways, and other mitigation to separate incompatible uses whenever possible.
6.2 Investigate potential conflicts between future residential development and existing agricultural operations and identify methods of resolving such conflicts prior to development.
Residential Development
By approving Measure C in 2004, Morgan Hill voters extended the City's Residential Development Control System ( RDCS) to 2020. The General Plan assumes that some form of residential growth control and the current allowed rate of 250 new units per year will continue until 2020, resulting in a city population at that time of 48,000 ( see Table 3).
Page 24 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Measure C requires that its basic provisions be included in the General Plan. These paragraphs ( which appear below under Residential Development Control) were approved as a voter initiative and cannot be amended except by another public vote.
At current construction rates, available residential land in the city and in the UGB will take more than 30 years to develop. Up to 4,200 new dwelling units of various types could be built in Morgan Hill east of Monterey Road, plus 1,400 west of Monterey Road. UGB lands are designated for a maximum of about 1,200 new units east of Monterey Road and 800 west of Monterey Road. Another 225 acres outside the UGB are designated for single family development south of Watsonville Road and west of Monterey Road. The city and SOI currently contain about 12,400 dwelling units and would need about another 3,900 to accommodate a 48,000 residents.
Table 3. Population Projections
Year
City Population
Avg. % Growth/ yr
2000
33,092
2005
36,500
2.0
2010
38,800
1.2
2015
43,400
2.3
2020
48,000
2.0
Residential Development Control
The following provisions, enacted by voter initiative Measure P in 1990 and refined and extended by vote of the people of the City in 2004, shall apply to all residential development in the city, and to any residential development that requires provision of urban services by the City, to and including fiscal year 2019/ 20.
Requirement of Development Allotments for all Residential Development
For the years to and including fiscal year 2019/ 20, no residential development shall be undertaken, and no discretionary permit or building permit shall be issued, in the City of Morgan Hill unless a development allotment has been obtained therefore in accordance with the provisions of this section of the General Plan and the Residential Development Control System ( RDCS) set out in the Morgan Hill Municipal Code, except for secondary dwelling units (" granny units") and for a single dwelling unit, on the following conditions: If one unit is proposed on a parcel of sufficient size to accommodate additional units, it may be permitted without an allotment only if a deed restriction is placed upon the parcel which requires allotments to be obtained for any additional dwelling units on that parcel. Furthermore, if more than one continuous parcel is proposed for development by the same individual or entity under the single dwelling unit exemption on each parcel, Residential Planned Development Zoning shall be required for such development. The Residential Development Control provisions of this section shall apply to all types of residential development in the City of Morgan Hill, including single family ( which includes mobile homes) and multi- family housing.
Community Development Page 25
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Number of Development Allotments
The population ceiling for the city as of January 1, 2020 is 48,000. This ceiling shall not be increased, regardless of whether additional lands are added to the city or its Urban Service Area. However, if any of the following existing County subdivisions, which are already within the City’s Urban Growth Boundary (“ Existing County Subdivisions”), are annexed into the City, the population within them shall not count against the 48,000 person population limit: Holiday Lake Estates Unit 1, Casalegno’s Subdivision ( Casa Lane), and El Dorado III ( at southwest corner of Hill Road and Diana Avenue).
The number of allotments shall be determined biennially, using the California Department of Finance’s most recently determined figures for the persons per household and total population of the City of Morgan Hill. The State’s estimate will be adjusted for any relevant housing backlog not included in its population estimate, any Existing County Subdivision ( as defined under the prior paragraph) that has been annexed, and any other quantifiable factor which improves the accuracy of the estimate. The adjusted population is then subtracted from 48,000, the result divided by the Department of Finance’s most recently determined figure for person per household in Morgan Hill, and then divided by the number of years remaining between the population estimate date and 2020. This gross annual allotment is then reduced for any fiscal year by its previously awarded allotments ( awarded in prior years) and the number of exempt units anticipated for that fiscal year.
The number of development allotments shall be divided between conventional single family dwellings, mobile homes and multiple family dwellings in a manner determined by the City Council, provided that no less than 33 percent of all allotments shall be awarded to single family dwelling units. The number of affordable/ elderly dwelling units shall be assigned in a manner consistent with state law for the total number of allotments to be assigned for that year. The City Council may, if it chooses, further divide the allotments according to geography, price, development size, phasing ( including the number of units and timing of allotments required to complete the project), and similar criteria as deemed necessary to provide for the general welfare.
For the competitions for allotments in fiscal years 2006- 07 through 2009- 10, the City Council shall reserve a certain number of allotments for projects in the Downtown Area. The number of allotments allocated, and the geographic limits of the Downtown Area for this purpose, shall be determined by the Council. The Council may amend the number of reserved allotments and geographic limits of Downtown for this purpose, and may continue to reserve an appropriate number of allotments to Downtown area projects after the 2009- 10 fiscal year.
The City Council may, in any year reserve an appropriate number of allotments per year to vertical mixed- use projects, which are not restricted to the Downtown Area.
Page 26 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Community Development Page 27
Development Allotment Applications and Evaluations
Development allotments shall be allocated to proposed developments in accordance with a Residential Development Control System set out in the Morgan Hill Municipal Code. This system shall provide for awards of development allotments based on the number of points scored for all development proposals biennial competition. The point scale used shall take into account the impact of the proposed development on the following public facilities and services: water supply system, sanitary sewer and treatment plant, drainage and runoff, fire and police protection, traffic and other municipal services.
Proposed developments shall be awarded points for provision of schools, and related facilities, open space, orderly and contiguous development, public facilities, parks and trails, low- income and moderate income housing and housing for the elderly, and diversity of housing types; and for quality of architectural design and site design.
Small residential developments provide special benefits to the City by encouraging local developers, providing design variety, and promoting utilization of smaller lots. These developments do not impose as high a burden on municipal services as do larger projects, because their demands are incremental and they tend to be infill developments. Such small developments may be unable to compete with larger developments in terms of the levels of amenities provided. In order to treat small developments in a manner reflecting their benefits to the community, the Residential Development Control System shall be designed to provide for small development through appropriate means selected by the City Council, such as a separate small project competition and a more streamlined and less costly process.
In implementing the provisions of the Residential Development Control System and making awards of development allotments, the City Council shall comply with Government Code Sections 66000 et seq. and other relevant provisions of the state Planning and Zoning Law.
Emergency Situations
No residential development shall be permitted during a period of emergency or severe impaction of public facilities, as declared by the City Council pursuant to provisions of the Municipal Code. The declaration of an emergency or severe impaction situation may be based on determinations of mandatory water rationing, sewage system operating at 95% capacity, or other endangerment to the public health, safety or welfare. In the event of overcrowding in public school serving Morgan Hill, the City Council shall work with the school district pursuant to Government Code sections 65970 et seq. to seek appropriate mitigation and prevent further overcrowding, including, as authorized by state statute, prohibiting residential development within the overcrowded school attendance area. The Council shall, in implementing this provision, comply with the provisions of Government Code Sections 65858, 65996, and any other applicable provisions of law.
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Page 28 Community Development
Open Space Conversions
No development allotments shall be awarded for a development proposal pursuant to this chapter and the RDCS unless the public benefits included in the proposal are secured in a permanent and enforceable manner. Lands that are designated for private or public open space, greenbelts, parks, paths, trails, or similar scenic and recreational uses in a residential development allotment application under this section shall, once the application is approved, be limited to the uses specified in the application through the use of permanent dedications, easements, or similar devices.
With respect to development allotments already awarded, wherever legally possible no further building permits shall be granted for a project until such public benefits specified in the development application, particularly but not exclusively open space dedications, have been secured in a permanent and enforceable manner.
The lands within the City of Morgan Hill that are designated " Open Space" on the Morgan Hill General Plan Land Use/ Circulation Elements map, as amended through November 19, 2003, are hereby reaffirmed and readopted through FY 2019/ 20. This provision shall not prevent the City Council from designating additional lands as open space.
Urban Service Area Restrictions
The City of Morgan Hill shall neither apply to LAFCO, nor otherwise request or support, the addition of any land to its Urban Service Area, until such time as the City Council finds that the amount of undeveloped, residentially developable land either within the existing Urban Service Area is insufficient to accommodate five years worth of residential growth beyond that required to accommodate the number of development allotments available in the next competition. The projected rate of growth for purposes of this determination shall be the rate of growth provided for by this section of the General Plan and the RDCS. After making such a finding of space insufficiency, the City may support the addition of land to the Urban Service Area only to the extent necessary to support approximately five or fewer years of growth beyond that required to accommodate the number of development allotments available in the next competition.
The City Council may formulate standards by which it may make exceptions to the above- stated provision, for desirable infill. Desirable infill is defined as a tract of land not exceeding twenty acres and abutted on at least two sides by the city or abutted on one side by the city and having two other sides within a quarter mile of a city boundary ( as determined by a perpendicular line drawn from the side of the parcel to the city boundary) and whose inclusion into the Urban Service Area would not unduly burden City services and would beneficially affect the general welfare of the citizens of the city. The standards set up for granting such exceptions must include criteria to prevent repetitively granting exceptions to the same applicant, development, or parcel. The City Council, prior to approving any expansion of the Urban Service Area for desirable in- fill, shall make findings documenting that expansion would not unduly burden City services, and that the expansion would beneficially affect the general welfare of the citizens of the City, as defined in the following paragraph.
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
Community Development Page 29
Areas whose addition to the Urban Service Area would be considered to beneficially affect the general welfare of the citizens of the City include those areas that promote orderly and contiguous development by facilitating the provision of infrastructure improvements, or allow for the establishment of public facilities such as parks, schools, or other buildings to be owned or operated by the city, school district, water district, or any other public agency. Infrastructure improvements that would promote orderly and contiguous development are those that connect to the existing infrastructure ( for example, the continuation of a dead- end street that would improve traffic circulation patterns), or otherwise complete or complement the existing system. The infrastructure improvements that are the basis of the City’s findings that the expansion would beneficially affect the general welfare of the City must be installed, or the land needed for public facilities that are the basis of the City’s findings that the expansion would beneficially affect the general welfare of the City must be conveyed to the public agency, within five years of the date the area is added to the Urban Services Area or upon its development, whichever occurs first. The commitment by the applicant to install the infrastructure improvements on which the City’s findings are based, or convey the land needed for the public facilities on which the findings are based, must be secured prior to official action adding the area to the Urban Services Area, through a development agreement or other legally binding agreement recorded against the property. The City shall not require an applicant to provide infrastructure or land in a quantity exceeding that which is needed to fully offset and mitigate all direct and cumulative impacts on services and infrastructure from new development proposed
by the applicant.
The City Council may make exceptions to these requirements for, and support the annexation to the City of Existing County Subdivisions as defined in paragraph B, “ Num
Residential Development Control provisions of the General Plan.
This section is not intended to, and shall not be applied to, restrict or constrain the discretion of the LAFCO, nor to prevent any action required by the Knox- H
Act of 2000 or other state statute or by any Court judgment.
In order to assure that City services and resources are not unduly burdened, urban sprawl and noncontiguous development must be discouraged. Therefore, for any land added to the Urban Service Area between March 1, 1990 and the effective date of Measure P, December 8, 1990, and not considered " infill" as defined above, the City shall not provide urban services to support any development
Urban Services Extensions The City of Morgan Hill shall grant no new extensions of urban services for residences beyond its Urban Service Area except in the event that 1) Morgan Hill has entered into a mutual aid or reciprocal emergency agreement for police, fire, or other emergency services to be provided by City facilities on County land; or 2) an owner of an existing development requests an extension due to the failure of an existing septic system or well and the City Council makes a finding that de
development would have a direct adverse impact on the public health and safety.
nial of services to that
at a higher density than that provided for in the Santa Clara County General Plan as of March 1, 1990.
ertzberg Local Government Reorganization
ber of Development Allotments,” of the
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
Goal 7. A variety of housing types and densities
available to all residents
Policies
7a. Plan for a population of approximately 48,000 residents in 2020.
7b. Plan for an approximate 70/ 30 ratio of single family to multi- family housing for all future residential development.
7c. Under the Residential Development Control System ( RDCS) procedures, continue to emphasize single family development in the distribution of units between single family and multi- family development.
7d. Encourage higher residential densities at locations where convenient access and adequate infrastructure is readily available.
7e. Provide for an adequate supply of multi- family housing, located convenient to shopping, services, and transportation routes.
7f. Continue to provide for mobile home park and modular home developments at appropriate locations within the city, employing high standards of site planning and design.
7g. Continue to provide for a full range of residential land use densities and building types, including mobile homes, within the General Plan and Zoning Ordinance
7h. Utilize all parcel sizes and land use categories in updating the City's Zoning Ordinance to provide for a full range of residential densities and housing types.
7i. Encourage a mix of housing types and lot sizes within residential projects with five or more lots or units.
7j. Support actions to maintain an adequate supply of single family housing throughout the community, including provision of affordable single family housing to those persons who work within the community.
7k. To the maximum extent possible, emphasize single family units in affordable housing allocations, rental and ownership housing assistance projects, and rehabilitation programs to improve the existing housing stock.
7l. Encourage preservation and rehabilitation of single family neighborhoods within the city.
7m. Allow residential uses in commercial zones and residential and commercial uses within a structure in a commercial zone ( e. g., downstairs commercial and upstairs residential), subject to meeting performance standards.
7n. Subject mobile home park and subdivision development to Residential Planned Development ( RPD) zoning.
7o. Distribute housing among the South County communities so as to achieve an appropriate population b
7p. alance and equitable distribution of public services. ( SCJAP 3.02)
7q. Provide housing at a range of costs that meet the needs of all sectors of the workforce. ( SCJAP 3.02)
Page 30 Community Development
July 2001 Morgan Hill General Plan
7r. The area designated for Single Family Low Density residential use located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Murphy and Diana Avenues shall be implemented using the R- 1 12,000 zoning district.
Action
7.1 Expand the Multi- Family Low residential land use designation to allow development of detached units based on design and development criteria intended to limit visual impact ( e. g., floor- area ratio, single story, mass of garages, etc.), and limit the number of small- lot detached units in a given project to a small proportion ( less than 25 percent) of overall units.
7.2 Limit the number of single- family attached units in a given project in Single Family designations to a small proportion ( less than 25 percent) of overall units.
7.3 The portion of the 65- acre development located between the Union Pacific Railway and Hale Avenue, south of Tilton Avenue which is planned for multi- family development shall be buffered from view from Hale Avenue by a row of single family homes developed on lots of a minimum 9,000 square feet in size.
Neighborhoods
Morgan Hill has a variety of neighborhoods, each with a unique character that adds to the diversity of the city. The General Plan seeks to preserve neighborhood vitality by buffering residences from commercial and industrial uses, but also by integrating homes and businesses within mixed- use projects where appropriate.
Goal 8. Distinct, well- designed residential neighborhoods
Policies
8a. Maintain distinct boundaries between commercial uses and residential neighborhood. ( This does not preclude residential uses within commercial areas as part of mixed- use projects, or in designated mixed- use areas.)
8b. Require any higher- density multi- family developments to include site design and a variety of unit types to mitigate potential impacts typically associated with larger projects.
8c. Encourage future residential development projects where local streets are safe, convenient and aesthetically pleasing; and where elementary schools and parks are centrally located to serve the immediate residential area.
8d. Complete street connections between neighborhoods to promote efficient circulation and emergency service response time.
8e. Design residential neighborhoods so they are distinct and separated from conflicting non- residential uses.
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Actions
8.1 Develop mechanisms to ensure a variety of building configurations in all multi- family areas.
8.2 Develop, adopt and enforce design standards for residential neighborhoods, providing for special design themes, signage, and roadway and sidewalk materials, and other methods of strengthening neighborhood identity.
8.3 Provide for an acceptable transition in lot size and density between adjacent residential areas.
8.4 Use existing and planned drainage/ flood control and linear park system elements, as well as other publicly owned or restricted land, to connect residential neighborhoods.
Commercial Development
Most of the roughly 550 acres designated for commercial development lies along Monterey Road and Highway 101. About half that land is vacant. Market projections indicate that during the next 20 years Morgan Hill will need another major grocery store and could support centers for sub- regional and tourist- oriented uses, which together could utilize 50 or more acres. It is important in retaining the city's identity to ensure that commercial uses are located where they can best serve target markets and least impact residential neighborhoods ( also see the Economic Development Element).
The General Plan Retail concentrates uses on Monterey Road around the Dunne and Tennant Avenue intersections, where higher traffic volumes can be better accommodated. Encouraging and maintaining non- retail uses along the intervening stretches is intended to help limit " strip commercial" appearance, reduce the potential for unacceptable traffic conditions, and contribute to the vitality of existing shopping centers.
Hotel and other traveler and regional serving commercial uses are proposed to be located along the Highway 101 corridor.
An additional grocery store is expected to be built in the northern part of Morgan Hill to serve the growing population in that area.
Goal 9. Sufficient and concentrated commercial uses
Policies
9a. Encourage a variety of commercial and office development to meet the needs of city residents. Page 32 Community Development
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9b. Ensure the viability of downtown and other recognized shopping areas, and discourage isolated and sprawling commercial activities along major roads.
9c. Encourage retail sales use at major intersections as the focus of clustered commercial development.
9d. Encourage commercial development and concentrate community shopping uses along Monterey Road north of Watsonville Road.
9e. Discourage commercial activities along Monterey Road south of Watsonville Road.
9f. Encourage preservation of older homes along Monterey Road north of Central Avenue for commercial use.
9g. Plan for a future grocery store east of Highway 101 along Cochrane Road.
9h. Auto- related commercial uses shall be allowed in addition to other non- retail commercial uses on Monterey Road, between Wright Avenue and Old Monterey Road, only under strict standards for performance, design and neighborhood compatibility.
Actions
9.1 Provide for a variety of commercial, office and industrial use categories in the Zoning Ordinance.
9.2 Update the Zoning Ordinance to specify appropriate levels of non- retail development at major intersections and appropriate levels of retail development along Monterey Road between the retail commercial nodes.
9.3 The northeast corner of the Morgan Hill Business Park, consisting of parcels 1 and 2 of the Morgan Hill Business Park, as shown on the Development Plan therefore, and located at the southwest corner of Cochrane Road and the South Valley Freeway, shall be designated for General Commercial uses ( Note: this policy was adopted by voter initiative and cannot be amended without an affirmative vote of the electorate).
9.4 Amend the Zoning Ordinance to create acceptable standards by which auto- related uses may be allowed on Monterey Road, between Wright Avenue and Old Monterey Road.
9.5 Work with the County to limit the approval of new commercial uses in the unincorporated portion of the area south of Watsonville Road along Monterey Road.
9.6 Amend the Zoning Ordinance, as necessary, to preserve a site east of Highway 101 and north of Cochrane Road for a grocery store.
9.7 Amend the Zoning Ordinance to prohibit convenience commercial uses in residential neighborhoods.
9.8 Amend development and building standards as necessary to facilitate commercial re- use of older homes on Monterey Road north of Main Avenue.
9.9 Amend the Zoning Ordinance to prohibit auto sales in the Service Commercial designation along northern Monterey Road.
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Sub- regional Retail Uses
Market research indicates that Morgan Hill can stem retail leakage by providing an additional 170,000 square feet of sub- regional retail uses on about 15 acres. Depending on how fast and intensively Coyote Valley develops, Morgan Hill could provide an additional 260,000 square feet of sub- regional retail on another 25 acres during the next 20 years.
Highway proximity is the most important consideration for sub- regional retail uses. This type of center should include apparel, appliances, books, building materials, electronics, furniture, office supplies and restaurants. The Land Use Diagram identifies one set of parcels totaling more than 48 acres at the northeast Cochrane interchange, and another of 29 acres at the southwest Tennant interchange, to accommodate future sub- regional retail development.
Goal 10. Sub- regional retail at freeway interchanges
Policies
10a. Encourage tourist- oriented and sub- regional retail uses at the northeast Cochrane and southwest Tennant freeway interchanges ( also see Economic Development Element).
10b. Limit repetitive ancillary commercial uses, such as fast- food restaurants and service stations, on lands around all interchanges.
10c. Zone all commercial areas at freeway interchanges Planned Unit Development, PUD, to ensure that they develop in a coordinated manner addressing such issues as design, signage and circulation.
Actions
10.1 Reserve land at the northeast Cochrane and southwest Tennant freeway interchanges for sub- regional retail uses with appropriate designations on the Land Use Map.
10.2 Apply gateway design standards to all freeway commercial development.
10.3 Identify preliminary design criteria and improvements needed for the staged development of a sub- regional commercial center.
10.4 Prepare a general set of standards, criteria and incentives for potential developers that identifies an appropriate process and schedule for the development of a sub- regional center.
10.5 Amend the Zoning Ordinance to require ancillary commercial uses, such as fast- food restaurants and service stations, on lands around interchanges to be part of larger developments.
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Industrial Development
Industrial development boosts the local economy through tax revenues and high- quality employment opportunities for residents. Except for the 400- acre Morgan Hill Ranch Business Park ( which is already more than half built- out), most industrial parcels comprise small separate ownerships near the railroad. Although these account for more than 200 acres of vacant land, they are generally too small to meet market demand.
Instead, projections indicate that in the next 20 years the city will need 200- 300 additional acres in large, distinct business parks with good freeway access and visibility. Ideally, new business parks will attract, clean, high- tech businesses separated from incompatible land uses. The Land Use Diagram identifies four appropriate sites totaling about 225 acres for new industrial development in three distinct areas near Highway 101. ( Total vacant industrial land exceeds 700 acres.)
Goal 11. Adequate land for industrial development
Policies
11a. Encourage industrial development as a means of diversifying the economic base.
11b. Attract industrial uses and promote development of industrial parks.
11c. Industrial development in the area east of Highway 101 ( south of Cochrane Road and north of Diana Avenue) and the area west of Highway 101 and south of Tennant Avenue shall occur under Planned Unit Development zoning to ensure that issues such as circulation, allowable uses, neighborhood compatibility and development standards are properly addressed.
11d. Encourage the placement of office portions of industrial uses to serve as buffers to potential conflicting uses, such as residential neighborhoods.
11e. Ensure that all industrial uses are well sited and buffered from incompatible uses; buffers may include offices adjacent to sensitive uses, landscaping, berms, etc.
11f. Allow light industrial or office commercial use of the property located on the east side of Monterey Road south of the Union Pacific train trestle, subject to strict design standards and limitations which recognize its access limitations.
Actions
11.1 Apply the design and landscaping standards set forth in the City Design Standards to all new industrial development.
11.2 Require industrial uses along Joleen Way to develop under a Planned Unit Development with a Master Plan that addresses circulation/ access and potential incompatibility with adjacent residentially zoned property, and that provides for development of visually attractive, non- industrial uses such as offices or other low- intensity uses along the Dunne Avenue frontage.
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11.3 Develop standards to ensure that industrial uses in close proximity to residential uses provide appropriate buffers and/ or transitions to adjacent residential areas.
11.4 The industrial area east of Highway 101 shall develop in no more than three PUDs. The boundary between the PUDs, should two or three be proposed, would be Half Road and Main Avenue. The PUDs will need to address such issues as traffic circulation, design, allowable uses and impacts on surrounding areas. Mitigation of impacts on nearby residential areas shall be a high priority in planning for and development of the PUDs. Allowable uses within these PUDs shall include, in addition to industrial uses, medical facilities, hospitals, and educational facilities.
11.5 The industrial area south of Tennant Avenue, west of Highway 101 and east of the railroad tracks shall be planned as a single PUD. The PUD for that area shall include minimum thresholds which must be met prior to development of any of the parcels in the area. Such thresholds should address among other issues, the availability of public facilities including sewer, water and storm drainage and the extensions of Butterfield Boulevard and Watsonville Road into the area. The PUD should also address the number or percentage of parcels which have been assembled for industrial development before any such uses may be established.
11.6 Amend the Zoning Ordinance to create acceptable standards by which industrial or office commercial uses may be established on the property located on the east side of Monterey Road south of the Union Pacific train trestle. Such standards shall recognize the significance of this portion of Monterey Road as the northerly entrance to downtown the necessary limitations on use due to its single point of access.
11.7 Evaluate annually the amount of industrial land available for development within the 5- year Urban Service Area, and propose expansion or adjustments in General Plan industrial land categories and related zoning as necessary.
Built Environment
Because no single architectural theme dominates Morgan Hill, design standards in the city should emphasize a variety of styles and specify fundamental architectural ideas that must be utilized. Such standards can address building envelope, mass and scale, window and door placement, façade, roof shape, landscaping, parking and other issues.
Goal 12. A visually attractive urban environment
Policies
12a. Avoid monotony in the appearance of residential development.
12b. Discourage the use of " franchise architecture."
12c. Improve the appearance of commercial developments by minimizing the amount of parking fronting the street.
12d. Rehabilitate or replace run- down, blighted buildings and developments, including trailer courts.
12e. Minimize the use of sound walls.
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12f. Landscape medians and public areas along major streets and Highway 101 using plant materials, wherever feasible.
12g. Ensure adequate maintenance of streetscape improvements.
12h. Encourage installation of public art in new and renovated non- residential projects.
12i. Ensure that development directly south of, and across Monterey Road from, the Post Office appropriately complements the Post Office and incorporates West Little Llagas Creek as an amenity.
Actions
12.1 Develop, adopt and enforce Design Standards for all commercial, industrial, and residential areas in order to provide a high quality environment and to attract desired types of businesses in specific locations. The design standards should address issues such as setbacks, building design and articulation, landscaping, parking and signage.
12.2 In requiring noise impact mitigation of new and/ or expanded development, the City shall promote the use of techniques less visually disturbing than sound walls, including but not limited to earth berms and intervening placement of non- sensitive buildings.
12.3 Develop a plan and standards to encourage the inclusion of public art in new and renovated non- residential projects.
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Downtown
Downtown includes the commercial area around Monterey Road from Main Avenue to Dunne Avenue, and from Del Monte Avenue to Depot Street. In accordance with the Downtown Design Plan – which establishes City goals and expectations for the land use and aesthetic character of the area, the commercial core along Monterey Road has been carefully designed to create a sense of civic identity. Extensive street and median planting, arcaded walkways, and ample street furniture provide for a pleasant visual and pedestrian experience. The downtown is highly regarded by residents, and its preservation and enhancement are high priorities for the City.
Goal 13. A vibrant, identifiable downtown
Policies
13a. Enhance the positive, friendly atmosphere of the downtown by encouraging proposed development to expand pedestrian- oriented design and amenities east of Monterey Road to Butterfield Boulevard.
13b. The Downtown Design Plan shall be considered a part of the General Plan.
13c. Consider allowing downtown land uses with night and weekend peak parking demands to share parking spaces with uses that have daytime and weekday peak parking demands.
13d. Continue the downtown streetscape and pedestrian- oriented design theme along Monterey Road for at least one block north of Main Avenue and at least one block south of Dunne Avenue, and from Monterey Road east to Butterfield Boulevard between Main and Dunne Avenues, to provide a transition from downtown adjoining commercial areas.
13e. Require adequate parking for all businesses within the downtown.
13f. Encourage industrial uses to move away from the downtown and into more appropriate industrial areas within the city. Use these vacant parcels to expand activities and uses conducive to the pedestrian- oriented downtown environment.
13g. Encourage retail uses in the downtown, with offices located away from Monterey Road or on upper floors along Monterey Road.
13h. Encourage a mixture of uses in the downtown that will promote its identity as the cultural and activity center of the city.
13i. Reinforce the downtown as a major retail and office center through the implementation of the Downtown Design Plan.
13j. Locate CalTrain and other transit stops convenient to the downtown, focusing on transit- and pedestrian- oriented development.
13k. Ensure that Circulation Element and road improvement programs provide efficient access to the downtown at a level of service not intended to accommodate regional pass- through traffic.
13l. Encourage residential uses on upper floors above commercial uses in the downtown area.
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Actions
13.1 Provide community assistance and support for downtown activities and special events - festivals, art shows, farmer's markets, collector car shows, craft fairs, etc.
13.2 Review the downtown commercial land use category and associated zoning categories to ensure that they promote pedestrian- oriented retail uses, including by requiring offices to be located away from Monterey Road or on upper floors along Monterey Road.
13.3 Review the General Plan and Zoning to ensure that there is adequate land available for an appropriate mix of activities downtown.
13.4 Review the proposed Third Street pedestrian mall for possible redesign to increase its attractiveness or usefulness to pedestrians.
13.5 Develop programs through the Redevelopment Agency to acquire parcels of land as they become available, to assist in assembling larger parcels of land, and to provide land write downs as necessary, to assist high priority uses to locate in and around the downtown.
13.6 In updating the Downtown Design Plan, include an evaluation of parking needs and consider appropriate residential densities and building heights for the downtown.
13.7 Apply the Downtown Design Plan to all development proposals in the downtown.
13.8 Review and revise as necessary the budget for maintaining downtown streetscape improvements.
13.9 Use the Residential Development Control System to foster residential uses above commercial uses.
Gateways
Gateways are the key locations where people enter and leave the city or its distinct districts. They let people know they have left one place and come into another. As gateways convey a sense of arrival and provide initial and lasting impressions, they should be attractive and identifiable. Gateways can express a pleasant welcome through architectural features, landscaping and art. Signage can also help define city gateways uniformly.
Goal 14. Distinct, attractive gateways to the community
Policies
14a. Enhance the visual integrity of the gateways to the city such as the Madrone area north of Cochrane Road, the Cochrane Road / Monterey Road intersection, Monterey Road south of Watsonville Road, the Cochrane, Dunne and Tennant freeway interchanges, and the railroad station.
14b. Protect the visual integrity of the scenic gateways to the South County ( Pacheco Pass, Hecker Pass, Route 101 south of Gilroy, and the Coyote greenbelt area north of Morgan Hill). ( SCJAP 16.06)
Actions
14.1 Develop and implement designs for public improvements at the key gateways to Morgan Hill including: Madrone area north of Cochrane
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Road, the Cochrane Road / Monterey Road intersection, Monterey Road south of Watsonville Road, the CalTrain station and freeway interchanges at Cochrane, Dunne and Tennant.
14.2 Develop, adopt and enforce Gateway Design Standards which set forth specific site, landscaping, architectural, and sign design standards for private development at and around the gateways to the community.
14.3 Work with CalTrans and Union Pacific to improve the appearance of the railroad overcrossing ( a secondary gateway to the city) and land along the railroad.
Edges
The character of the edges between urban and rural environments is important to establishing the city's identity and providing residents on either side of the edge with a sense of place. The demarcation from urban to non- urban areas can take two different forms. With a hard edge, the urbanized portion of a city ends abruptly, with rural/ agricultural lands around it. With a feathered edge, development intensities taper off from higher densities in the city interior to lower densities at the edge, creating a transition from urban to rural. Although they can provide appropriate transitions, feathered edges can make gateways difficult to distinguish. In either case, edges form a boundary between " town" and " country" and limit the potential for unwanted urban sprawl.
Goal 15. Appropriate transition between urban land uses
and surrounding undeveloped areas
Policies
15a. West of Highway 101 and north of the Madrone Industrial Park, feather residential uses toward the northern Sphere of Influence boundary with San Jose.
15b. Maintain existing residential feathering south of Watsonville Road and west of Monterey Road, and maintain the residential estate designation east of Monterey Road to the railroad.
15c. Review other areas of the city to evaluate whether a feathered edge would be appropriate.
Action
15.1 Retain the existing land use pattern of large lots east and west of 101 and north of Cochrane Road
Services
The City provides police protection, parks and recreation programs, community planning and building inspection, water supply, sewage disposal, drainage, and street maintenance. The City contracts with the Santa Clara County Fire Protection District for fire protection and emergency medical response. Various Page 40 Community Development
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other public and quasi- public providers offer education, electricity, natural gas, telephone and cable television services.
Goal 16. An urban level of services and facilities
( SCJAP 5.01)
Policies
16a. Maintain high standards of siting and design in the development of City facilities ( e. g., parks, City offices, fire stations).
16b. Evaluate the need for additional or upgrading of community facilities based on such factors as the location and extent of new residential, commercial and industrial development, residential densities, and neighborhood development patterns.
16c. Identify public facility and service needs, and coordinate their development to minimize costs and support achievement of community goals. ( SCJAP 5.00)
Actions
16.1 Require all development that may result in a substantial impact on City infrastructure and/ or services to be analyzed to determine the extent of that fiscal burden.
16.2 Require all City projects to go through the same development review procedure as private projects, ( i. e., Development Review Committee, Planning Commission and Architectural and Site Review Board [ ARB] approval.)
16.3 Identify and adopt a set of level of service standards for major public facilities and services ( roads, police, fire, sewer, water, drainage) that identify accepted service standards for development in Morgan Hill.
16.4 Fully utilize existing strategies to achieve an urban level of public services throughout the city, including a) require that the timing and location of future urban development be based upon the availability of public services and facilities; b) require new development to pay all the incremental public service costs which it generates; and c) require developers to dedicate land and/ or pay to offset the costs relating to the provision and expansion of public services and facilities. ( SCJAP 5.01)
16.5 Determine the City’s future energy needs and develop strategies to ensure that adequate energy resources are available when needed.
Public Safety
Adequate staffing and timely response are necessities for police, fire, and emergency medical services. These objectives can be defined, achieved and maintained through implementation of master plans for these services. The City is currently updating its Fire Safety Master Plan.
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Goal 17. Efficient police, fire and emergency
medical response and services
Policies
17a. Ensure police and fire staffing and facilities as necessary to provide adequate public safety protection.
17b. Promote police and fire security considerations in all structures by ensuring that crime and fire prevention concepts are considered in development and design.
17c. Encourage provision of a full range of medical services in the city, including an acute care hospital.
Actions
17.1 Store duplicate records of utility systems in emergency operations centers for continuing operations and repairs of vital services in the event of a disaster.
17.2 Evaluate the emergency operations center for seismic vulnerability, and modify its design as necessary to assure the continuity of vital services following a damaging earthquake.
17.3 Enforce the City's Security Ordinance through the Development Review Committee.
17.4 Ensure that a sufficient supply of appropriately located vacant land is planned and zoned for medical services.
17.5 Assist in the formation of a healthcare foundation charged with developing and implementing an action plan for attracting physicians and other medical services, and with establishing an acute care hospital in the city.
17.6 Continue to implement fire safety requirements through the Development Review Committee.
17.7 Consider strengthening Fire and Police standards in Chapter 18.78 of the Municipal Code.
17.8 Develop and adopt a Public Safety Master Plan that includes three specific elements addressing Fire, Police and Emergency Medical Services to ensure that the City has adequately planned for the construction and maintenance of public safety services.
• The Fire Protection Element of the Public Safety Master Plan shall address the need for, timing and location of future fire stations, methods for providing preferred levels of service, and fire prevention programs.
• The Police Service Element of the Public Safety Master Plan shall address police staffing levels, performance standards, and the need for and location of additional police facilities.
• The Emergency Medical Element of the Public Safety Master Plan shall address paramedic response and its relationship to fire protection responders. Page 42 Community Development
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17.9 Until such time as there is an acute care hospital operating in the City, ensure that there is at least one vacant site of 10- to- 15 acres in size that is zoned to allow that use.
17.10 Amend the Zoning Ordinance, as necessary, to ensure that medical facilities are allowed within industrial zoning districts.
Parks and Recreation
Providing parks, recreation facilities and programs is a high priority expressed by community residents. With available funding and a renewed City recreation program, Morgan Hill has an unparalleled opportunity to expand parks, trails, facilities and recreation programs through City initiative and partnerships with other agencies and organizations ( see Map 3).
Goal 18. Useful, accessible and high- quality park,
recreation and trail facilities and programs
Policies
18a. Recreational facilities and programs shall meet the needs of all Morgan Hill residents, including seniors, youth, and citizens with disabilities.
18b. Parks and recreational facilities shall be sited to maximize access to all residents. Where feasible, neighborhood parks shall be distributed throughout the community so that all residents live within walking distance of a neighborhood or community park. ( Walking distance is defined as within a 1/ 2- mile radius of the park. This may not be feasible in all neighborhoods, especially hillside neighborhoods. See the Parks, Facilities and Recreation Programming Master Plan for definitions of neighborhood and community parks.)
18c. The City shall acquire and develop parks and recreation facilities, and develop joint use agreements with other agencies and organizations that provide community recreation facilities, to achieve a standard of 5 acres of parkland per thousand population. Parkland toward this standard shall be calculated based on the recommendations and Parkland Classification System in the Parks, Facilities and Recreation Programming Master Plan.
18d. Location and development of parks shall be coordinated with the Open Space and Conservation Element of the General Plan to maximize opportunities for resource protection, environmental education, and passive recreational use of open space where appropriate.
18e. All facilities shall comply with State and Federal accessibility codes and standards, such as those established by the Americans with Disability Act
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( ADA) and California Access Code ( Title 24, California Code of Regulation).
18f. Encourage partnerships with public, non- profit and private agencies and organizations in the acquisition, development and long- term operations of parks, recreational facilities and trails.
18g. Where appropriate, locate new neighborhood parks adjacent to new schools, to optimize the multiple use of public open space facilities.
18h. Parks and recreational facilities shall be designed to primarily meet community needs. Regional need may be a consideration in the planning and design of recreation facilities if there are long- term operations and maintenance benefits ( such as facilities where regional tournaments may help off- set long- term operations costs) and/ or to meet other General Plan goals ( such as economic development). Facilities that may meet regional needs shall be located and designed in such a way to minimize impact on residential neighborhoods.
18i. Incorporate emergency services ( fire and police) into the design review process for new parks, recreation facilities and trails.
18j. Continue to support development of the recreational facilities identified in the Morgan Hill Vision Process. These include the community and cultural center, community recreation center ( with senior and youth facilities), aquatics center, sports park/ soccer complex, permanent skate park, and trails. Other facilities to be developed include a BMX park, new neighborhood parks in areas currently underserved by parks, and a dog off- leash area.
18k. Encourage the development of trails along creeks and drainage channels, connecting parks, regional trails, schools, library, and other community facilities.
18l. Coordinate trails, parks, and recreation facilities with a citywide bikeways system to include bicycle paths, lanes and routes.
18m. Continue to actively support the Parks and Recreation policies of the South County Joint Area Plan.
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Map 3. Park, Recreation and School Facilities
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18n. Where appropriate, incorporate multi- functional and multi- generational design into facilities, provided that such multi- use does not create long- term operational conflicts. Sports fields and courts shall be located for efficiency, convenience and to support neighborhoods. Some fields and courts shall be grouped together at centers or complexes for league and tournament use, while other fields and courts shall be located at neighborhood parks for neighborhood use
18o. Consider long- term operations and maintenance implications when designing new or renovating existing parks and recreation facilities. Cost implications and funding sources for long- term operations and maintenance shall be identified for each new facility prior to proceeding with project development.
18p. Due to high maintenance costs and relatively low recreational value, development of future mini- parks shall be discouraged, unless they serve a specific function, such as a downtown plaza. Small neighborhood flood control basins ( less than two acres) shall be landscaped as a neighborhood amenity, but shall not be considered part of the parks and recreation system. Larger ( 2 acres or greater) flood control basins may be considered for parks provided that the flood control function does not preclude the desired recreational function.
18q. Continue to require park acquisition and development fees and/ or land dedication to support the acquisition and development of parks, trails and other recreation facilities.
18r. Actively pursue additional funding sources and mechanisms to support acquisition, development, and long term operations of parks, trails, facilities and recreation programs.
18s. Parks and recreational facilities shall be maintained to consistent and established standards. Maintenance standards and performance shall be regularly evaluated.
18t. Incorporate community outreach and involvement into the design process for parks and recreation facilities, and in the development of community recreation programs.
18u. Trails and linear parkways along creeks and drainage ways shall be coordinated with development to ensure protection and restoration of natural resources.
Actions
18.1 Actively pursue acquisition of appropriate parkland for recommended parks, trails and facilities, and to meet existing and future recreation needs.
18.2 Encourage partnerships with other agencies and organizations, including the Morgan Hill Unified School District ( MHUSD) and other schools, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department, to acquire and develop parks and recreation facilities.
18.3 Work in partnership with MHUSD and other schools where appropriate to identify potential locations for future parks adjacent to future schools
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in areas currently underserved by parks. Where feasible, the lead agency ( MHUSD or the City) shall acquire the full amount of land needed for the school/ park, with the other agency agreeing to pay its fair share. Also consider partnerships to enhance community recreational use of existing and proposed school facilities.
18.4 Joint use agreements between the City and MHUSD shall be developed for all new school/ neighborhood parks identifying maintenance responsibilities and maximizing shared use of resources where mutually beneficial. Also consider partnerships to enhance community recreational use of existing and proposed school facilities.
18.5 Work in partnership with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to establish easements and develop trails and linear parks along creeks and drainage channels.
18.6 Work in partnership with the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department to enhance appropriate community use of County parkland adjacent to or within the City.
18.7 Utilize site selection evaluation criteria for major parks and special use facilities to minimize impact on adjacent neighborhoods. ( These criteria are included in the Parks, Facilities and Recreation Programming Master Plan.)
18.8 Regularly review and update park development impact fees to ensure they are consistent with land values and park development costs. Coordinate this review and update with review of the residential development allocation point system.
18.9 Develop business plans for new sports parks and special use facilities that address management structure, potential partnerships, long- term operations and maintenance costs and potential for cost recovery through user fees and other means.
18.10 Utilize standards for the preparation of specific park and facility master plans, including appropriate levels of public outreach and involvement, as established in the Parks, Facilities, and Recreation Programming Master Plan.
18.11 Evaluate whether the City or recreation partner( s) should provide recreation programs on a case- by- case basis, based on criteria included in the Parks, Facilities, and Recreation Programming Master Plan.
18.12 Where partnerships with other agencies and organizations are desired, establish joint use agreements that clearly define scheduling, programming and maintenance responsibilities of each partner. Encourage partnerships where revenues beyond operations and maintenance costs must be reinvested in the facility or elsewhere within the community to enhance recreation opportunity.
18.13 Enhance the City’s role as a center of information for community recreation programs provided by the City and other recreation providers.
18.14 Establish a consistent and reliable funding source for long- term operations and maintenance. Consider a city- wide assessment district and other mechanisms for this purpose.
18.15 If a citywide assessment district or other funding method is adopted for long- term operations and maintenance, consider converting appropriate
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private Homeowners Association ( HOA) Parks to public neighborhood parks.
18.16 Incorporate guidelines for the design and development of future HOA parks into the design review process. ( These guidelines are included in the Parks, Facilities and Recreation Programming Master Plan.)
18.17 Consider restrooms at new parks based on guidelines established in the Parks, Facilities, and Recreation Programming Master Plan. At neighborhood/ school parks, encourage the design and location of restrooms that can serve both the park and the school.
18.18 Actively pursue grants, donations, corporate sponsorships, and joint projects with other departments, agencies and organizations to supplement acquisition and development revenues.
18.19 Encourage establishment of a non- profit foundation to support parks and recreation facilities and programs.
18.20 Establish operations and maintenance cost- recovery goals for various facilities and programs. Establish which types of programs should be self- supporting, and which programs may be partially subsidized by the City. Coordinate user fee schedules with MHUSD so that School District and City facilities have consistent user fees.
18.21 Enhance scholarship programs to assist with program fees and equipment costs for low- income youth.
18.22 Establish measurable maintenance standards for parks and recreational facilities to encourage a consistent and high level of maintenance.
18.23 Regularly review and update the Parks, Facilities and Recreation Programming Master Plan to measure progress, and address unforeseen future needs and conditions. The Master Plan should be reviewed annually as a part of the City’s regular budgeting process. A more thorough review of the Master Plan should occur every five years.
Table 4. School District Enrollment
Year
K- 6
7- 9
10- 12
Total
1999/ 2000
5,173
2,161
1,922
9,256
2003/ 04
5,292
2,285
1,986
9,563
2007/ 08
5,464
2,252
2,062
9,778
Morgan Hill Unified School District, 2000
Schools
The Morgan Hill Unified School District extends from south San Jose through San Martin. It includes all of Morgan Hill, portions of San Jose, and unincorporated areas including Coyote and San Martin. Governed by policy decisions of a locally- elected, seven- member Board of Education, the District operates ten elementary schools, two middle schools, one comprehensive high school, one continuation high school, a Community Adult School, a District central office, and a corporation yard ( see Map 3).
The District has chosen to participate in class- size reductions through the third grade, and has adopted both room capacity standards and instructional space requirements for the schools within its jurisdiction. With total enrollment nearing 10,000 students, the District anticipates the need to build additional school facilities in Morgan Hill in the near future ( see Table 4). The Land Use Diagram indicates general locations for new public elementary schools.
Community Development Page 49
Morgan Hill General Plan July 2001
The city also contains private schools for elementary aged children, including Carden Academy, Morgan Hill Country School, Montessori Learning for Living, St. Catherine’s Catholic, and South Valley Christian. Gavilan Community College based in Gilroy ( 10 miles to the south) offers higher education opportunities, including at a Morgan Hill satellite campus.
Goal 19. Coordinated urban and school development
Policies
19a. Work with the Morgan Hill Unified School District to assure coordinated planning for school facilities needed in conjunction with new development, and to identify appropriate locations for future school facilities.
19b. Encourage the Morgan Hill Unified School District, Gavilan College and private schools to develop a strategic plan for and construct schools to coincide with the planned future growth of the city.
19c. Encourage the Morgan Hill Unified School District to develop a mechanism to ensure that residential development in the County and San Jose pays fees comparable to those paid in the city.
19d. Encourage the upgrading of elementary school facilities to serve as the focal point of each neighborhood's social, cultural, vocational and recreational, as well as educational, activities.
19e. Cooperate with the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, and the Morgan Hill Unified School District to insure a high quality