There’s a lot of dirt under the plow, so to speak, when it comes
to business tycoon John Fry, his golf course and the world-class
math institute he wants to build in Morgan Hill.
There’s a lot of dirt under the plow, so to speak, when it comes to business tycoon John Fry, his golf course and the world-class math institute he wants to build in Morgan Hill.
When John Fry and his partner, Steve Sorenson, bought the former Hill Country and brought the tractors in, he should have done everything by the tors in, they should have done everything by the book. They didn’t, but neither did the city of Morgan Hill which essentially looked the other way while Fry transformed a crummy, weed-patch golf course into a stunningly magnificent manicured 18 holes.
There’s simply no way the city didn’t know about the extensive grading that exceeded the scope of the permits for the 192 acres located on Foothill Avenue east of U.S. 101. And if they didn’t, then the inspectors were derelict in their duty.
Further complicating matters is the fact that the city did not initiate the process to pull the land out of the state Williamson Act and neither did Fry or Sorenson. Because of the tax break associated with the Williamson Act, Brian Schmidt, of the Committee for Green Foothills, asked the Santa Clara County District Attorney to investigate the American Institute of Mathematics for tax fraud.
If the DA investigated all Williamson Act violations as tax fraud, criminals would be roaming our streets in droves.
The real focus of this messy situation should be answering the question “Where do we go from here?”
Forward, hopefully.
Fry and Sorenson should pay the hefty $460,000 fine to remove the property from the Williamson Act. And they should pay full property taxes going forward. But to impose a multi-million dollar fine to get out of the Williamson Actwould be punitive.
The math institute is a perfect match for Morgan Hill, and the city recognizes the potential. It’s good for business and good for the city’s image. Imagine the best math minds in the world working on problems in Morgan Hill. That could give South Valley a real entry into becoming “a player” in Silicon Valley.
The city should quit playing both ends of this mess and work things out so that it can fully support and embrace the math institute. Hammer out a deal with Fry and Sorenson – don’t get too creative – and then support this worthwhile enterprise.
Going to bat for Fry and the math institute will pay dividends in the long run as long as both parties play by the book from here on out.
Neighbors and Morgan Hill residents need to be sure that the AIM project won’t be treated any differently than any other significant beneficial project brought to the city.
Fry and Sorenson should have to pay for their mistakes, but the city should recognize the great value of this project.
