MORGAN HILL
– Nearly 100 people from the Walnut Grove area rallied against
any additional car dealerships in their neighborhood.
MORGAN HILL – Nearly 100 people from the Walnut Grove area rallied against any additional car dealerships in their neighborhood.
The meeting, led by resident Larry Klamecki in a packed Advent Lutheran Church Tuesday, was designed to unify neighbors in their fight against the city’s plans for expanding one auto dealership off Dunne Avenue and perhaps adding more.
“This is the beginning of an effort,” Klamecki said. “This is July, but in November, there will be an election.”
The neighbors will be seeking signatures on a petition to ask the city to look at different sites for the proposed dealership.
Alternative sites include across the street behind Safeway on Dunne Avenue and along U.S. 101 at the Tennant Avenue and Cochrane Road exits. The Tennant and Cochrane proposals were favored by most neighbors.
In May, neighbors met with city officials to voice their concerns. Following that meeting, the council put a temporary stop on the plans.
Joyce Maskell, manager of the city’s Business Assistance and Housing Services, said the city will ask the planning commission on Aug. 10 to appoint two people for a subcommittee to work on the project. Neighbors will receive notices in the mail informing them of the decision, she said.
“We hope to work together on a plan to work for an auto mall in the area,” Maskell said Thursday.
But the neighborhood group has other plans. They are trying to stop more dealerships from sprouting up in the area already home to Courtesy Chevrolet and a planned expansion of Serene Drive to connect Diana and Dunne avenues.
While auto dealerships will bring in much needed tax revenue to the city and the expansion of Serene Drive would improve response times for emergency personnel, neighbors still don’t want the project.
Klamecki said he was not opposed to having auto dealerships in Morgan Hill, but thought there are better locations than on Walnut Grove.
The proposed site for the dealerships closely borders houses leading residents to raise concerns of traffic, noise and bright lights.
When Ford submitted plans for its site on Condit Road, neighbors who were opposed to the plan rallied and forced light and noise restrictions be adopted
Rosemary Circle resident Lee Schmidt pointed out the citizens of the area can turn the election against the mayor.
“In 2002, the mayor received 5,676 votes out of 8118 who voted,” Schmidt said. “In our area, we have 2,000 potential voters. 2,000 votes swings the election from last time.”
Michael Kavanaugh, who lives in the Walnut Grove area, wondered why Morgan Hill should even have auto malls.
“Why can’t we just leave it out?” Kavanaugh asked. “I moved to Morgan Hill five years ago, and it was very much a bedroom community. I don’t want auto malls at all.”
Mike Jensen moved to the Diana Park area two months ago from Capital Expressway in San Jose with the idea he would get away from auto malls and was not eager to see them come to his new neighborhood.
“The neighborhood was affected by lights, the PA announcements and continuous noise,” Jensen said. “The dealerships had a lot to do with why I left.”
The city has contracted to pay up to $85,595 to two consultants working on the project and so far has doled out $58,600.
When the meeting concluded, Klamecki encouraged people to pick up petitions to go around their neighborhood and get people to sign.
Klamecki hopes to bring the petitions to the city and encourage them to change.
Mayor Dennis Kennedy said he wants to work with the neighbors to reach a solution, but out of three sites, Dunne Avenue is on top of the list.
“They’ve got valid concerns,” Kennedy said. “We have to meet and come to some sort of resolution that would meet with everyone’s wishes.”
The city has planned brining an auto dealership to town since February of 2002.
