Nonprofit helps promote events, work with the city to enhance quality of life in Morgan Hill

Published on Page 11 of the July 10, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life.

By Brad Jones

Morgan Hill is blessed with a historic downtown district that offers residents and visitors the best in fine dining, trendy boutiques, and kid-friendly stores. Since it was formed as a nonprofit organization in 2002, the Morgan Hill Downtown Association has been active in building our downtown into a dynamic hub of community life and cultural events.

The MHDA is made up of a team of business owners and residents who volunteer their time and energy to plan promotional events and work with the City of Morgan Hill to enhance the quality of life in our community.

The MHDA has been teaming with various agencies in the city. We are actively involved with our community’s Property Based Improvement District (PBID) to find ways to improve our downtown’s infrastructure.

Our members are involved with providing input for the City’s “Morgan Hill 2035” initiative to shape our General Plan and help guide development and growth in our community over the next 20 years.

We are continuously working on updating the Downtown Plan in partnership with agencies including the Planning Commission, the Architectural Review Board, the Economic Development Corporation, and many other stakeholders.

We are also involved with the recently formed Tourism Alliance to make Morgan Hill a destination for visitors who want to enjoy our wineries, sports facilities, restaurants and charming downtown.

And, because we share so many goals in common with the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce, we are partnering with that organization to create a better flow of communication, which is mutually beneficial in serving the people and businesses of Morgan Hill. Downtown Morgan Hill has always been alive with activity, but it seems the energy has really ramped up this year.
It’s not hard to notice the 300 new housing units that have been constructed or are now under construction. These homes will create a greater awareness of our downtown district as new residents visit our unique retail shops and experience the diverse culinary options.

The MHDA strives to keep our downtown district a vibrant, family and pedestrian-friendly environment. We welcome these new downtown-based residents — as well as all residents and visitors to Morgan Hill — to partake in the various activities we host throughout the year, including the special events so many of our merchants in the downtown district often open to the public.
For example, BookSmart has recently opened a new community room where it will host author talks and family-friendly activities.
Several of our restaurants are involved in food and wine pairing evenings that are very popular among residents and visitors.
The MHDA strives to be an active voice in all things downtown, so if you’re passionate about your community, consider joining the MHDA and be a part of a team committed to making Morgan Hill’s downtown district a destination everyone wants to be.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Upcoming events featured in our downtown to watch for include:
• The Thursday Night Music Series during the summer season through Sept. 26
• The Brew Crawl (Sept. 14)
• The Downtown Wine Stroll
• The Taste of Morgan Hill (Sept. 28 – 29)
• The Poppy Jasper International Film Festival (Nov. 8 – 10)
• The Safe Trick or Treat event on Halloween evening
• The Holiday of Lights Parade at Christmas time

Brad Jones is the president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association. He is co-owner with his wife Cinda Meister of BookSmart in downtown Morgan Hill on the corner of Depot and Second streets.