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How is Morgan Hill going to grow retail
offerings?
❖
RETAIL FLEXIBILITY
Retail experts suggest that Morgan Hill, like
many other communities, is “over retailed.”
This means that we have more retail space
for the size of our community. In order to
keep the key commercial areas healthy, the
City should
Develop a Retail Concentration
Strategy (Action #13)
and eliminate
retail/commercial requirements where
retail is not going to succeed. The retail
industry is dynamic and the City should
Continually Revisit Retail Industry Trends &
Requirements (Action #14).
One option for retail attraction is to
Pursue
Sports Recreation Uses as Anchor Tenants;
Increase Permitted Use allowance up to 15K
sq. ft. (Action #15).
This will make it easier
for indoor sport facilities to locate in the
large retail spaces that can no longer
support a traditional retail tenant. This also
supports the Sports/Recreation and
Tourism goals of this community.
It is also recommended that the City work
closely with the owners of retail shopping
centers to help them find ways to re-invest
in their properties. The City should also
Re-
Evaluate and Propose Changes to Shopping
Center -Site Specific Zoning Requirements
(Action #16).
Another initiative that can support
shopping centers and advance tourism
goals is to proactively support wine bars,
tasting rooms and craft distilleries. The City
can
Change Zoning to Allow Incidental
Wine, Beer and Alcohol Tasting Rooms and
Distilleries in Downtown and Throughout
the City in Commercial and Industrial Zoned
Areas (Action #17).
Another use that is not
a traditional retail use but can bring people
and foot traffic to commercial centers is co-
working facilities. The City should
Promote
Co-Working facilities in Commercial Nodes
(Action #18).