City planning for agriculture, open space and other uses for SEQ

Published in the Jan. 22, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life

By Rebecca Tolentino

Rebecca Tolentino

Rebecca Tolentino

How does a community preserve its agricultural past and address its needs for the future? Simple… you plan. That’s what the city of Morgan Hill is now doing in the area known as the Southeast Quadrant. City staff have been working with community stakeholders to develop a plan for agriculture, open space and other uses in the SEQ that will help to keep Morgan Hill vibrant and active for a healthy future.

The SEQ area covers 1,290 acres of land that is generally bounded by Condit Road and Highway 101 to the west, San Pedro Avenue to the north, Carey Avenue to the east, and Maple Avenue to the south. Most of the SEQ area is currently outside the Morgan Hill city limits.

For years the question of what should happen in the SEQ remained unanswered. We did know that the city wanted to define the city’s southern boundary, preserve agriculture, create a greenbelt along the city’s southern edge, and allow land uses that support the city’s economic development goals. In 2008, the concept of sports-recreation-leisure uses was introduced and became the major land use vision, along with agriculture, for the SEQ area.

Over the next few months, the city will be considering two major land use documents for the SEQ area: a Citywide Agricultural Lands Preservation Program and a SEQ Land Use Plan. The Preservation Program will be used to preserve and enhance open space/agriculture in and around Morgan Hill, including a requirement that developers who build on agricultural land preserve offsetting open space/agriculture land. The Land Use Plan supports new sports-recreation-leisure development within the SEQ, building Morgan Hill’s identity as an active, family-friendly community. The Land Use Plan also creates opportunity for private education and helps with the preservation of large agricultural areas by transferring existing residential development rights into clustered home sites.

Both the Citywide Agricultural Lands Preservation Program and the SEQ Land Use Plan are analyzed in a Draft Environmental Impact Report. The DEIR evaluates the potential environmental impacts that could come from implementing the project. The DEIR was published in December for a 60-day public review and comment period ending on Tuesday, Feb. 18. Anyone interested is invited and encouraged to review the DEIR and provide written comments. Copies of the DEIR are available for review at City Hall, the Morgan Hill Library, and on the city’s website.

Once the comment period closes and all comments have been addressed, the public hearings for the project will begin, including Planning Commission and Morgan Hill City Council hearings. In addition, the Local Agency Formation Commission of Santa Clara County will review the proposed annexation of land into the city’s boundaries.

Planning for the SEQ area has involved a great deal of time and collaborative effort. City staff are excited to share the proposed plan with the residents and stakeholders of Morgan Hill. We welcome your feedback. If you’d like more information regarding the SEQ Plan and/or the Agricultural Lands Preservation Program, contact me at [email protected] or (408) 310-4635.

Rebecca Tolentino is a senior planner with the city of Morgan Hill.