STOP THE MASSIVE DISTRIBUTION CENTER!
Imagine, 1 million square feet of industrial warehouse space with 192 truck bays, over 300 trailer spaces, and the possibility of 4,000 trips per day, all at the gateway of Morgan Hill.
This will be our future if we don't act now.
"Urgent Alert!!! Horrible Project on its Way!"
This is how many of us first learned about Trammell Crow’s proposal for land purchased on Cochrane road at the gateway of our city – land surrounded by a medical facility, a senior living center, the largest shopping center in Morgan Hill, a high school, and of course, many of
our homes.
Posted on social media in early May 2019, this announcement opened our eyes to what can happen when Morgan Hill residents are not actively involved in the economic development process of our city.
In January 2019, Trammell Crow, one of the world’s largest commercial real estate and investment firms, submitted an application to City of Morgan Hill to build
a massive distribution/warehouse facility, described as “one of the largest in Northern California.”
This project, filed with the city as “Morgan Hill Technology Park”, appeared deceptive at the onset given the design of the construction site plan. The builder requested an amendment to the General Plan, along with rezoning to a total of 57 acres for industrial use, to fully implement their plan, which looks nothing like a “tech campus”.
This is the WRONG solution for our city. We have learned a great deal about distribution centers, also called distribution warehouses, fulfillment centers, logistics centers or trucking centers. The likely impact to our area is severe and far reaching, and will change the fabric of our community forever.
At the northern entrance of our city, these enormous buildings will become an eyesore against the dwindling natural landscape of our valley. Our placid views will be marred by vast industrial sprawl just like other cities allowing these distribution centers to be built.
A heavy increase in traffic caused by this facility will severely impact households, schools, and local businesses. Neighborhoods will be congested with big rig trucks queued up for loading docks while polluting our air with their diesel emissions. Traffic on Hwy 101, barely tolerable now, will become absolute gridlock for anyone traveling through this region of the Bay Area.
QUICK FACTS
- Multiple parcels located between Cochrane and Half Roads, near 101 interchange and close proximity to:
-
De Paul Health Center
-
Westmont Senior Living Community
-
Live Oak High School
-
Cochrane Commons Shopping Center
-
Multiple housing developments
- Parcels formerly owned by J. Fry, used most recently as private tree nursery, agricultural land
- Current zoning includes 31 acres for commercial use and 30 acres for industrial use
- Land purchased by Trammell Crow for $31M
on 1/10/2019
- Project application filed with city as
“Morgan Hill Technology Park” on 1/29/2019, just 19 days after purchase was complete
- Applied for amendment to long-term General Plan and rezoning to a majority industrial
- Build out includes 1.1 million sq feet of distribution/warehouse space
- Single story buildings up to 55 ft high; telecommunications towers up to 90 ft high
- Specifications for 192 loading docks and
300 spaces sized for big rig trucks and
shipping containers
- Architectural site plan with details for grading,
storm water elimination, and landscaping
- Colored elevations similar to distribution centers built in recent years, except for the addition of butterflies for Morgan Hill residents who apparently like insects on their buildings
We must use our collective voices NOW to ensure this project does not move forward based on the current design. Instead, let us collaborate with the city and builder to find a solution that brings quality jobs, supports existing businesses, protects the environment, and gives priority to preserving our quality of life here in Morgan Hill today and for years to come.