Note: The Council meeting has occurred and unfortunately the Council voted 3-2 to apply for annexation of farmland. Thank you to all those who wrote to the Morgan Hill City Council. We will continue to advocate on this issue.

On Wednesday, Sept. 5, the Morgan Hill City Council will consider adopting a resolution authorizing the City to apply once again to LAFCo in order to annex farmland in the Southeast Quadrant (SEQ) for development. Please come to the Council meeting, or send an email to the City Council, to request that the Council forego the resolution and instead reestablish discussions with LAFCo, the County and the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority to resolve the continued outstanding issues these agencies have with the City’s SEQ Plan.

When: Wednesday, September 5, 7:00 p.m.

Where: City of Morgan Hill Council Chambers, 17555 Peak Avenue, Morgan Hill

What’s Happening

The City of Morgan Hill hasn’t given up on its plan for sprawl in the Southeast Quadrant.  LAFCo twice denied the City’s applications to amend its urban service area and annex farmland in the SEQ for urban development. Yet the City is going to try again even though they have not addressed the substantive issues LAFCo and other agencies have with the City’s plan for the SEQ.

Why It’s Important

The SEQ is the last large area of contiguous farmland in the Morgan Hill area. It is incumbent on the City to prioritize sound planning for the future of this area. However, national, regional, and local organizations and community members alike have consistently expressed to the City how their plan does not meet that criteria. Throughout the 2035 General Plan process, the community clearly voiced its desire to retain agriculture around the city and incentivize infill development in lieu of sprawl, even though the City did not include discussion of the SEQ plan within that process. The City’s plan for the SEQ does little to nothing to meet the community’s vision for Morgan Hill’s future. Instead, it will only make farming increasingly difficult in the area, exacerbated traffic issues, and squander opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas impacts.