Several ways to give feedback on future of Morgan Hill
Published on Page 1 of the July 24, 2013 issue of Morgan Hill Life:
By Steve Tate
Morgan Hill Mayor Steve Tate
This is a really exciting time for Morgan Hill. According to a recent survey done by our police department as part of its outcome-based strategy, more than 80 percent of our residents think we are going in the “right direction.” And now we are in the process of setting our future direction. What a great opportunity. We can take advantage of what we are currently doing that most everyone likes, while setting out new directions to tune things up and make Morgan Hill even better going forward.
The vehicle for setting direction is the update of our General Plan, and through our innovative “Morgan Hill 2035” process, we are providing myriad opportunities for residents to be involved in setting our future direction. It is my sincere hope that as many residents as possible – including you – will participate through one of the many vehicles.
Why is it important for you to get involved? I can go on forever about what a great place Morgan Hill is, but I also realize that there are areas that need attention and that, with our very limited resources, priorities need to be established. Your elected City Council has your endorsement at the polls, but we also need to know how you feel about our community, what we are doing right, where we can improve and what priorities you would assign various options.
Growth has traditionally been an area of concern in Morgan Hill and the General Plan will establish population targets and how we will achieve them. Where should open space be preserved? What sort of housing densities do we want in different areas? To boost our economic vitality, what can we do to produce more jobs and bring more businesses here?
Road maintenance and transportation options need to be addressed. How do we further raise the vitality of our wonderful downtown? Are there things we should be doing to make ourselves even safer or more environmentally friendly?
If you have thoughts or opinions about these or any other areas, we want to hear from you. Your opinions will help shape our future through the General Plan. There are so many avenues for input. The General Plan Advisory Committee meets bimonthly and has ample opportunity for public comment. We’ve had some very innovative sessions dedicated to getting input on growth control alternatives and tourism and anticipate more of these sessions in the future. We will be holding some public workshops devoted to getting your input in specific areas. The Planning Commission and City Council are meeting together every few months to review progress and provide direction, and we will certainly take your comments at these sessions. To see a schedule of all these meetings, please visit www.morganhill2035.org.
I know many folks do not like meetings or can’t get to them due to family or business commitments, but we still want to get their input, so we have a vehicle for that. Again, go to www.morganhill2035.org and sign up for Open Town Hall where you can easily provide your thoughts on where we should be going in a survey-type dialog. You can also use the website to submit any input – or you can always email me ([email protected]). The website has a wealth of information describing the General Plan content, the process for updating it, the meeting schedule and topics, and the Open Town Hall access. I really encourage you to visit the site and – get involved. We value your opinions, please share them.
Steve Tate is the mayor of Morgan Hill.
