City of Morgan Hill Water System Master Plan 2017

2017 City of Morgan Hill

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CHAPTER 2 - PLANNING AREA CHARACTERISTICS

This chapter presents a discussion of the planning area characteristics for this master plan and defines the land use classifications. The planning area is divided into several planning sub-areas, as established by the City’s planning division.

2.1 STUDY AREA DESCRIPTION

The City of Morgan Hill is located in Santa Clara County, approximately 22 miles southeast of the City of San Jose and 24 miles northwest of the city of Hollister. The City’s closest neighbor, the City of Gilroy, is located 8 miles to the southeast. U.S. Route 101 bisects the eastern boundary of the City in the north-south direction. The City limits currently encompass 12.9 square miles, with an approximate population of 42,000 residents. The City is generally bound to the north by Tilton Avenue, to the east by Anderson Lake, to the southeast by Foothill Avenue, to the west by Sunnyside Drive, and to the south by Middle Avenue. There are several creeks flowing through and along the boundaries of the City, including: Fisher Creek, West Little Llagas Creek, and Llagas Creek. The topography is generally flat in the valley portion of the city, with increasing slopes in east and west side of the city due to the Santa Cruz Mountain to the west and the Diablo Range to the east. The unincorporated community of San Martin is located to the south of the City. Figure 2.1 displays the planning area showing City Limits, the Urban Growth Boundary of the City, and the City’s Sphere of Influence Boundary. The City operates and maintains a domestic water system that covers the majority of the area within the City Limits. Currently, the water demands are provided from groundwater wells located throughout the City.

2.2 WATER SERVICE AREA AND LAND USE

The City’s water system services residential and non-residential lands primarily within the City limits, as summarized on Table 2.1 . This service area includes:

 5,260 net acres of developed lands inside the service area.

 1,732 net acres of undeveloped lands inside the service area.

The existing land use statistics were based on information received from Placeworks staff, the planning firm responsible for preparing the 2035 General Plan, and are shown on Figure 2.2 . At the buildout of the Urban Growth Boundary of the General Plan, the City’s water system is anticipated to service approximately 4,943 acres of residential land use and 2,393 acres of non- residential land use for a total water service area of 7,337 acres ( Table 2.1 ). The land use designations utilized in this master plan are consistent with the Land Use Element of the City’s General Plan, and as received from the City’s planning division and shown on Figure 2.3 .

June 2017

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City of Morgan Hill Water System Master Plan