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June 2017
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City of Morgan Hill
Water System Master Plan
HISTORICAL AND FUTURE GROWTH
The City is a growing community, with over 2 percent of the Santa Clara County population
residing within the City limits. DOF records estimate the 2015 population at more than 42,000.
Between 1970 and 1980 the City saw dramatic growth, with the population increasing from 5,579
to 16,924 at an average annual growth rate of approximately 18 percent. This rapid growth led to
the City’s adoption of a growth management system, known as the Residential Development
Control System (RDCS), which regulates growth by limiting the number of new homes approved
annually. Following the implementation of the RDCS the average annual growth rate between
1980 and 2000 fell to approximately 4.7 percent. From 2000 to present the City has observed an
average annual growth rate of approximately 2.4 percent.
The General Plan Update anticipates a 2035 population of 58,200 and this 2017 WSMP is
consistent with the General Plan projections. The current and projected service area population is
summarized in
Table 2.2
; it should be noted that projected service area populations are
consistent with the City’s 2015 UWMP.
The City’s RDCS sets a maximum number of annual housing allotments that would not be
exceeded and can only be reduced. Furthermore, if the number of allotments is reduced in a given
year, they cannot be added to a future year. The population limit, which is a ceiling and not a
target, is then a function of the maximum number of allotments.