Nonprofit updated the downtown business maps and distributed them throughout the area.

By David Dindak

David Dindak

Happy New Year, everyone! As 2023 begins, even the ducks have been staying home. But no worries. We need the water, and the sun will find us soon.

Morgan Hill Downtown Association was busy in 2022.

Once again, we maintained the mission toward making downtown the heart of the community. Residents and out-of-towners alike were ready to leave the nest of the last two years which led to the well-attended Wine Stroll in Spring and Brew Crawl in the fall. Participating service, retailers and restaurants were elated to have so many people attending those events, and we thank all the visitors that came downtown to show support.

Safe Trick-or-Treat was a hit as well, providing our town’s munchkins a haven and efficient way to spend Halloween evening. We thank the city officials and staff for assistance in funding the treasured twinkle lights and Holiday Tree for all to enjoy.  That being said, you have to agree our downtown stands out among other cities in the area and is truly the Gem of the South Bay.

Keeping MHDA membership in touch with what’s going on, we continued publishing a monthly newsletter and updating the website which you can find at www.mhdowntown.org. We also continued here in the pages of Morgan Hill Life, monthly showcasing of our downtown and its wonderful businesses. Thanks to Robert, Marty and Mark.

Beyond that we reached out to membership, which was widely supportive of the Hotel MOHI Rezoning request, which we shared with city staff. You might have noticed construction is on its way after the city council granted a request for a partial fifth floor addition for several rooms that makes the project more feasible. We also collaborated with our city’s partners working toward the goal of a sustaining vibrant downtown.

Lastly, we updated the downtown business maps and distributed them throughout the area.

There’s also a lot happening city-wide. Did you know about 70 percent-plus of our residents travel north or south for their job? My bet is now that working remotely is going to the wayside and traffic is again getting more and more crowded, there are those who would like to live, work, eat and play in their hometown.

Although overall feelings are mixed about the progress, new businesses and restaurants continue to move in.  Industry is booming with sights on R&D and high-end manufacturing, which is good for the vitality and job growth of not only downtown but the entire city’s retail, business and restaurant scene.

The MHDA annual retreat was scheduled after print time this month, so I’m unable to provide a lot of detail. But we’ll be in the midst of planning some new events/activities.

We’ll be discussing collaboration on a Blues Festival, annual Wine Stroll and Brew Crawl, Mixers, and Progressive Dinner Night(s) along with further collaborating with the city and merchants of the downtown.

We are a working board and have lassoed a few more board recruits who will expand our bandwidth. So as always, suggestions for what you guys would like to see are welcome.

Wishing you all a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2023.

 

It’s sometimes hard to keep up with what’s going on in town, so here is some contact info for you to be in the know:
  • Morgan Hill Downtown Association — (408) 779-3190, mhdowntown.org;
  • Chamber of Commerce — (408) 779.9444, or Morganhillchamber.org;
  • Visit Morgan Hill — visitmorganhill.org;
  • The City — facebook.com/morganhillengage, mh.ca.gov, @cityofmorganhill.

 

David Dindak is the president of the Morgan Hill Downtown Association, co-owner Bubbles & Brew, and a RE/MAX Realtor.