If you think that Gilroy is the only city in Santa Clara County looking to expand land, think this over - the city of Morgan Hill is also trying to get in the action as well. One of my previous blogs addressed the controversy surrounding the city of Gilroy's annexation plans - including the possible impacts on traffic in Morgan Hill and San Martin.
The city of Morgan Hill is looking to expand their boundaries on the southeast side of the city, bordering near the intersection of Tennant and Murphy Avenue. The number of acres that Morgan Hill is looking to annex is only 229 as opposed to 721 in Gilroy's plan, but that is very similar to the one that Gilroy was trying to annex.
But the result: Denied. Much like the city of Gilroy, there were a slew of opposition, according to an article that I read that included "environmental groups and growth watchdogs."
I've been watching all the development between both Gilroy and Morgan Hill from the time that I was notified about the proposed annexation through various articles and social media. But unlike the Gilroy proposal, the city of Morgan Hill did allow time for members of the public to address their concern related to the annexation. Gilroy, on the other hand, never allowed the members of the public to address their concerns, which sparked outrage over a wide area. Out of the eight members who were watching Morgan Hill's development, six of them, including Ken Yeager, opposed the plan for possible environmental reasons.
Come to think of it, this is not far from where I reside, as Murphy Avenue is part of the city of Morgan Hill's expansion plan north of Middle Avenue - the avenue separating the two sides of Murphy Avenue due to 101 bypassing under Middle Avenue between San Martin and Tennant Avenue exits. But for Morgan Hill's proposed annexation of land, this is nothing new to me.
In fact, I repeatedly found land that the city of Morgan Hill could use, particularly in the business district along Butterfield Blvd near Sutter, and along Cochrane Road east of a shopping center that also houses Target. The city of Morgan Hill could use those empty lands to transform them for retail and housing use, although the city has not yet decided if they want to do so.
I previously inquired with the city of Morgan Hill and Gilroy regarding their annexation plans, with no response.
Original Work: Kyle Chak
E-mail: chak595301@gmail.com
Twitter: @KyleSChak
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