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
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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
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