Preliminary permits have been filed for suburban sprawl at 16400 Trail Drive in unincorporated Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County. The pre-application invokes state laws that could streamline the approval process for nearly two hundred residences. MH Engineering Company is listed as the project applicant.
Details about the project remain limited, with a brief description provided in the application. The plans estimate that construction will create 188 new homes, including 40 duplexes and 148 single-family homes. The seven existing single-family homes will remain on-site.
The development requires the merging of seven different parcels in unincorporated county land directly across from the Morgan Hill city line. The final property would span around fifty acres. The site is around twenty minutes away from Downtown Morgan Hill by bicycle or over an hour on foot, meaning future residents will almost certainly rely on vehicular transit, contributing to increased traffic.
MH Engineering is a Morgan Hill-based civil engineering firm founded in 1975. The firm’s public portfolio shows a range of suburban, multiplex, and strip mall projects across the Bay Area. Our previous coverage of the firm includes the builder’s remedy-assisted plans filed last June for a single-family subdivision at 1245 Diana Avenue in Morgan Hill.
Cupertino-based residents Chen Hongtao and Emily are listed as the property owners. The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be established.
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How the hell are sprawl merchants getting away with this stuff? I thought that land had to be incorporated and within a masterplan. This 1970s-era hopscotch greenfield sprawl is making a big comeback thanks to Scott Wiener.
By the way, South County traffic on 101 is already a nightmare virtually any time of day. This type of development is only going to make matters worse. And don’t tell me that these people are going to take Caltrain, because they won’t.
Better build here than in places where they don’t have the space to widen the roads.
I concur…
I’m glad you see the article’s truth-telling. “Suburban sprawl” and “increased traffic” indeed. I don’t understand how California and the town and county allow this. I thought we all about density.
These are very smart holds of land by whomever has been riding these out, waiting for suburban sprawl to reach this area. It was only a matter of time. Possibly a 30 year+ hold for someone.
Already wrote the state assembly and the Santa Clara county representative but they don’t write back and they don’t care The native oak tress on this area are being trampled upon and the rabbits that live there as well but they don’t care. The state doesn’t care about how this impacts our environment and animal life, it’s all about $$$$&
You may be on to something. I grew up on Foothill Av in the 60″s andI know about the wildlife of which you speak. Add to this development the one set to run along Tenant from Hill to practically Carey Ave on the east and you pretty much are looking at the
Blossom Hill end of San Jose and bye, bye open space close at hand. (except for HCSP)
This is part of the New Horizons development, run by
Rocke Garcia and his wife, Glenda. They railroaded this project through from Planning to City Council. This is an absolutely new configuration of the old posted project. I am not sure how they can legally get away with this. It seems if they have changed the proposal, it would need to go through another review by the city and the residents.
The site is 3.5 miles from the Morgan Hill caltrain station.
The section of US 101 from Dunne to the south end of Gilroy has been stop and go 7 days a week for a decade. Over that time span Butterfield Blvd has been heavily built out with low rise condos and apartments
I have not read the previous comments so I apologize if I am covering old ground.I am wondering if these new dwelling unit be permitted to tie into the Morgan Hill sanitary sewer system? If they can, (other than because of distance and obstacles) why cannot the San Martin Village be allowed to connect?
This YIMBY comment section is very NIMBY.
Density in the city+sprawl in the perifery = more choice for everyone.
Just say NO to urban sprawl and over crowing!
@Yimby “Density in the city+sprawl in the perifery = more choice for everyone.” Choice for those who currently don’t live here and no choice for those of us who already do. Those of us who live here because it is less crowded, has open space and a slower pace of life. We’d prefer to keep it this way. I guess we don’t count? Unfortunately, every time a new development goes in, there is little thought and almost no improvement in the existing infrastructure that is already stressed to it’s limits. As pointed out above, 101 is a nightmare every day of the week. Where are the plans to increase the freeway capacity along with all of these new homes? Where are the plans to entice tech companies to build here instead of San Jose so that residents can work near home and not have to commute?