City of Morgan Hill Water System Master Plan 2017

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June 2017 2-1 City of Morgan Hill
Water System Master Plan
2017City of Morgan Hill
2.0 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.