MBK’s project offers 78 units for very low-income renters due to its delineation as “mixed-income.”
Concept art of planned development courtesy MBK Rental Living
By Robert Airoldi
Robert Airoldi
Get ready to see a lot of dirt flying this summer in northern Morgan Hill. MBK Rental Living held a groundbreaking ceremony June 7 for their 389-unit market-rate apartment complex. Located on 19.5-acres between Monterey Road and Butterfield Boulevard north of Digital Drive, the Vida Morgan Hill housing project will consist of two-story and three-story buildings, offering one-bedroom and two-bedroom garden-style apartments.
“We are excited to see new rental housing product come to market,” said city of Morgan Hill Housing Director Rebecca Garcia in a press release. “These apartment units support the city’s growing workforce and provide more accessibility to the community.”
MBK’s project offers 78 units for very low-income renters due to its delineation as “mixed-income.”
The city’s current apartment vacancy rate is about 1 percent. Between 2002 and 2018, the number of jobs in Morgan Hill increased by 27.1 percent. Morgan Hill has 1,972 apartment units citywide. Vida Morgan Hill will be the first apartment project built since the 83-unit Sunsweet Apartment Complex in 2020. Prior to that was the 102-unit Diamond Creek Apartment Complex in 2015. Between 2015 and 2019, 1,542 housing units were issued permits in Morgan Hill. Of those permits, 77.8 percent were for above moderate-income housing, 8.8 percent were for moderate-income housing, and 13.4 percent were for low- or very low-income housing.
The grand opening of the project is anticipated to take place in late 2023.
Longtime Morgan Hill resident George Witzel is a pickleball fanatic who played a role with his friend, Sherry Hemingway, in bringing the popular game outside to the basketball courts at Community Park. A senior citizen who likes to stay active and engaged with fellow senior citizens, he found he was able to get exercise and some camaraderie in the A fun sport combining elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong. Unfortunately, he had been force to travel to either San Jose or Gilroy to play outdoors pickleball, which he prefers due to COVID-19 concerns.
Hemingway and Witzel worked with Public Services Director Chris Ghione to put in outdoor pickleball courts. The city put in temporary courts, with nets available by leaving a driver’s license at the Centennial Recreation Center a short walk nearby.
Ghione said at a June 7 ribbon cutting the city is looking to provide permanent courts at a to-be-determined site, probably a public park.
“In case you are not familiar with pickleball it is a cross between badminton and tennis and has a lot of former tennis players enjoying it as it is less stressful on the body,” Witzel told us. “It is the fastest growing sport in America with a growth rate of 25 percent per year. It has been designated as the state sport in Washington and now has a national tournament. It is a wonderful game for seniors who want to stay active — and also for families who seek a fun time.
Pickleball was invented in 1965 on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. It got its start by accident when Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum found their kids bored with the usual activities that summer. Because they couldn’t find all the equipment, they tried a Wiffle ball and ping-pong paddles instead of a shuttlecock and badminton rackets in a friendly game that they named “pickleball” after a family dog.
If you want to make some new friends while you get some exercise, join the fun at Community Park.
Lisa DeSilva, the chief development officer at Community Solutions, received a check for $24,000 from the Intero Foundation June 7 to assist in making the lives of struggling South Valley families a bit better.
Steve Barsanti, vice president and managing officer of Intero Real Estate Service for South County, said the nonprofit based in Gilroy was chosen because of how much it helps local people in need with the various programs it provides.
These include services and support to help children, families, and individuals overcome the challenges posed by mental health issues, substance abuse, trauma, severe family dysfunction, sexual and domestic violence.
“What’s important is to give back to the local community,” Barsanti said. “And being able to give to Community Solutions that serves both Morgan Hill and Gilroy is just great for Intero.”
The grant money is raised directly from Realtors at the close of every escrow who donate a percentage or small dollar amount to the Intero Foundation. Many offices also hold fundraisers throughout the year such as bowling tournaments or raffles.
The money will support Community Solutions’ Healing Through Art & Plan Program for youth victimized by sexual assault, domestic violence, and human trafficking.
“This program, led by a bilingual/bicultural artist, provides the young survivors and their family members a creative outlet for their feelings,” DeSilva said.
“Stories from the Past” is a documentary film series hosted by the Morgan Hill Historical Society that uses video to feature personal accounts of people who have shaped the history and heritage of our community. A free screening of the 2021 edition was shown Sunday, June 5, at the Morgan Hill Playhouse to a nearly packed audience. The series is created and produced for the Morgan Hill Historical Society by Selah Productions and 152 West Productions.
“’Stories from the Past’ is an ongoing project to share local history with residents, visitors, history lovers, researchers, schools and other organizations,” said Roger Knopf, society president. “We continue to record untold stories of our diverse and ever-changing community — including families whose roots go back several generations or more — through the power of film.”
The 2021 interviewees are: Gary Ponzini (Ponzini’s Community Garage and the Edward Boss Prado Foundation), John Telfer (South County Realty) Linda Tarvin (HotSpot Printing and the Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce and AAUW-MH), Dan and Tom Rocca (Rocca’s Market of San Martin), and Joan Sullivan (Sullivan’s Last Stand). The filmmaker team is Robin Shepherd (writer, director and producer), Nils Myers (cinematographer and film editor), Bobby Kwong (camera assistant), and Amaobi Ajawara (sound recordist).
To view the hour-long film and others in the series, visit www.morganhillhistoricalsociety.org/stories-from-the-past.
