development pressure and conversion.
Agricultural Easement Acquisition
efforts by Morgan Hill have been
focused within the southeast quadrant
(SEQ) as its first priority for conserva-
tion; the secondary priority being the
preservation of other rural county ag
lands within the Morgan Hill SOI. The
Agricultural Priority Area encompasses
roughly 650 acres of land.
When it comes to Open Space
Lands, the City of Morgan Hill has
a track record of preserving open
space in hillside areas that surround
the community. This has been
accomplished through purchases,
dedications, regulations, incentives, and
open space easements. The bottom line:
roughly 600 acres of hillside and view
shed areas are preserved and restricted
from further development.
Smarter
One Step
at a Time
The Smart Cities Council of North
America emphasizes that for a city
to be “smart”, it doesn’t have to be a
large urban center promoting a com-
plicated or expensive solution. Small
to mid-sized municipalities are often
nimbler, easing the process to develop a
smart city vision and build stakeholder
consensus. They succeed by using a
phased approach, scaling up as budgets
and needs evolve. They have a long-
term focus that allows for short-term
wins along the way. In other words, you
don’t have to research, plan and fund
your end-to-end strategy before taking
your first step as a city.
those policies and plans, and challenges
related to environmental stewardship
for Morgan Hill.
Community interest in preserving
ag and open space land continues to
be strong. With this in mind, the City
spent several years evaluating preserva-
tion strategies within the framework
of the 2035 General Plan Update. In
2014, its resulting Agricultural Lands
Preservation Program was adopted by
the City Council. The program identi-
fied two Priority Conservation Areas
(MHPCA), located adjacent to the City
boundary, as the main focus for future
acquisition of agricultural conserva-
tion easements. These lands are located
outside of City limits and are therefore
regulated by the county, but are within
the City’s Sphere of Influence (SOI),
and have been significantly impacted by
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
june/july 2019
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