Chart shows the population
growth of both cities from 1960
to the 2018 estimate. In 1960
Gilroy and Morgan Hill had a
combined population of only
10,469. Fifty-eight years later
the combined official population
estimated is 103,244.
annexed land approved by LAFCO,
Morgan Hill is expected to run out of
land for residential and commercial
development in only five years! In Gilroy,
in addition to LAFCO restrictions, there’s
Measure H —an urban growth boundary
that limits growth, Gilroy expects to
run out of available industrial and
commercial space in the next few years.
Let’s look at General Plans and their
influence on development. Gilroy had
just completed a general plan for 2020
before Measure H put in place numerous
growth restrictions. Consequently, Gilroy
is going through the process of revamp-
ing the General Plan with a 2040 target.
This year the RDO process was suspend-
ed pending additional studies for land
use in the new proposed 2040 General
Plan. Morgan Hill’s General Plan runs
through 2035 and is already consistent
with the new growth directives in
Measure S.
little or no residential or commercial de-
velopment further down the line. Gilroy
has a compact set of boundaries and will
need to focus on infill projects and an
expansion of industrial or commercial
land. Morgan Hill, with its more spread
out footprint, will need to develop plans
and obtain LAFCO approvals, to keep
up with its growth needs.
• Morgan Hill has done a good job
of addressing rental and affordable
housing needs. Gilroy has a start with
the Alexander Street and Carriage Hill
developments. But the challenges of
building more rentals and affordable
housing continue.
The bottom line is that those of us
who are fortunate to live in the South
Santa Clara Valley have a little bit of
paradise here but growth is inevitable
and how we manage our growth is
paramount to our continued quality
of life. The BANANA people who say
“Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere
Near Anyone” or NIMBY people with
their “Not in My Back Yard” are doing a
disservice to themselves and their chil-
dren, the next generation. We have a lot
to preserve but also a future to shape.
• New projects will need to continue
to build in amenities that address
community and neighborhood in-
volvement in order to be successful.
City governments need to get creative
to address existing and future budgetary
needs. Somewhere out there is a way
• Growth is complicated and takes
to create more jobs locally (thereby
time—a lot of time. Large projects are producing income for the cities) and
not going to sprout up overnight. Most reduce the number of cars heading north
are several years in the allocation and
every day, which is estimated at 14,000
planning phase before they reach the
every work day (thereby improving the
building and selling phase.
quality of life for many residents). Some
point to much better telecommunication
• While Gilroy and Morgan Hill have a
bandwith as part of the solution to
number of projects in progress, there is
these problems.
What does all this mean?
34
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
JUNE/JULY 2018
gmhtoday.com