gmhTODAY 08 gmhToday May June 2016 | Page 76

Big Things Happening in Downtown Morgan Hill Keep coming to downtown Morgan Hill to see how things are developing and to have lots of outdoor fun. The summer of 2016 promises to be an exhilarating time. W By John Horner, President /CEO Morgan Hill Chamber of Commerce e are in the midst of some of the biggest changes in our downtown in a very long time and are kicking off a summer season of outdoor, family-friendly fun. It all begins with the annual Mushroom Mardis Gras festival on May 28th and 29th. The very next weekend starts the wildly popular Friday Night Music series at the Downtown Amphitheater held every Friday evening from June 3rd through August 26th. The region’s finest Independence Day celebrations, including a massive parade through the downtown take place on July 4th weekend. Please read for information about these three key happenings. Our other big news downtown is construction, construction and more construction. The major streetscape renovations and art installations are nearing completion as is the new parking garage. This garage will be a resource supporting business patrons, special event visitors, guests of our downtown residents and commuters who use the nearby train and bus stops as part of their longer journey. Our region continues to lobby CalTrain for more frequent service. If and when that happens, we will have the parking capacity to support our needs. Speaking of which, we recently learned that the US has approximately three parking spaces for every vehicle in the country. At any given time, the majority of those spaces are sitting empty at our homes, workplaces, dining destinations, and so on. Going forward we have to be smarter about mixed use of regions so that parking spaces can serve multiple users throughout the day. A big new garage isn’t useful without great reasons to come downtown, and so much is happening there. The first project we expect to open is the thoroughly renovated Granada Theater and Event Center. Frank Leal’s team is refurbishing this into a combination dining and entertain- ment venue which will offer special event space, special movie screenings, live entertainment and more. Later this year we also expect to see construction start for the two buildings which will house four new restaurants at the corner of Monterey and 3rd street on the site where the closed store and temporary pop-up park are presently located. Other major projects we expect to start this year include a large mixed residential, small office and retail develop- ment at the site of the current Depot Center (aka Booksmart site), a condo project in the presently empty site north of 76 GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN the Granary building and further renovations of the building at 2nd and Monterey where Tryst and Royal Clothiers have been located. Further down the road we expect construction of a new boutique hotel at the site of the now vacant Downtown Mall and a “still being finalized” mixed-use project at the site of the former bike shop building. Take a step back in time to the “Rat Pack Era” when you attend an event at the historical Granada Theatre! Walk under the glow of the marquee, and into the White Carrera Marble Foyer. Check your coat at the door and strike a “Red Carpet Worthy Pose” in front of your personalized backdrop. Stroll up to the 40- foot-long bar and order a classic or modern signature cocktail from one of the mixologists. Enter into the theatre and marvel at the 30-foot-tall vaulted ceiling, adorned with 10 crystal chandeliers. Select a seat in one of the tufted booths complete with marble tabletops, located on the upper two elevated tiers. Indulge in a variety of culinary assortments all personally prepared by our Executive Chef Mark Johnson. As the lighting of the wall scones dim, sit back, relax and enjoy the show! MAY/JUNE 2016 gmhtoday.com