Let's Talk Housing Santa Clara County

The City of Morgan Hill is working collaboratively with the other local jurisdictions within Santa Clara County on the Housing Element update, called Let’s Talk Housing Santa Clara County. To learn more, visit www.letstalkhousingscc.org. 

The Let’s Talk Housing Santa Clara County collaborative will host a series of community meetings regarding the Housing Element update process. Links to register for the community meetings will be posted here.

August 11th, 2021 Countywide Housing Element Community Meeting

The Let’s Talk Housing Santa Clara County collaborative hosted a Countywide Housing Element Community Meeting from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on August 11, 2021, that included an introduction to the Housing Element update – a once-in-a-decade chance to shape the future of our communities. There was an introduction about the update process, then time to talk with staff from the cities of Gilroy, Morgan Hill, and the County of Santa Clara. This introductory meeting was focused on hearing from residents about their housing needs. Spanish language interpretation was available during the meeting and a Spanish breakout room was also provided. 

Use the following links to view the recording of the Morgan Hill breakout room, the Morgan Hill Breakout Room presentation, and Public Input gathered during the Morgan Hill breakout room.

About Let’s Talk Housing

Let's Talk Housing is a collaborative effort of all the jurisdictions in Santa Clara County focused on getting community feedback that will shape our Housing Elements – a housing plan that is part of every General Plan. Through an ongoing initiative called the Santa Clara Planning Collaborative, we are working together to learn from and listen to the community about their housing needs, helping to make sure everyone is involved in shaping our shared future.

The more people we hear from, the better our plans for the future of housing will reflect what is actually needed. Your voice—along with the voices of your neighbors, our workforce and our young people—are critical to ensure we have housing that meets all our needs. Join us to learn more about this process and how you can participate. 

This is an introductory meeting, meant for everyone, including people who are learning about this planning process for the first time.

To learn more about Morgan Hill’s Housing Element update process visit, http://morgan-hill.ca.gov/2063/Housing-Element-Update 

What is a Housing Element Update?

Housing Elements are housing plans that are one part of the General Plan – a guide to all the ways each city, town or county is planned and managed, from our roads and sidewalks to our parks and neighborhoods. With an update required every eight years by the State of California, this Housing Element update will create a foundation for all the policies and programs related to housing. 

While city governments don’t build housing themselves, they create the rules that affect where housing can be built, how much, and how it gets approved. Each jurisdiction’s housing plan needs to help ensure that there will be enough capacity and supportive policies to meet the projected need over the next 10 years.

Things are the way they are in our communities because of policies and decisions made in the past. The Housing Element update is an opportunity to address what’s happened before and change course based on what a community needs and values now.

Why It Matters

More and more, purchasing a home is out of reach for many while renters face rent prices that are just too high. Just about every city in the region needs more housing, of all types and sizes. 

  • Teachers, firefighters, health care, and other essential workers are traveling long distances to work or being forced to relocate to other cities. 
  • Young adults and students - including your children and grandchildren - are unable to purchase homes or even live in the communities they grew up in once they leave their childhood homes. 
  • Communities of color and non-English speakers – who make up the majority of our community members living in overcrowded and unsafe conditions – can’t afford to be near their jobs, school, or families.

Creating more housing—and more diverse housing choices—means: 

  • Young families can find an affordable starter home
  • Young adults moving out of their childhood home and into the housing market can stay in the cities they grew up in
  • Our aging population will have more options for retirement, including downsizing, providing housing for on-site health or home care, and staying in their communities
  • Workers - teachers, firefighters, health care workers, essential workers - can find homes near job centers (which will reduce traffic!)
  • Your children and grandchildren can stay near you in the communities they feel a part of
  • More people will have more opportunities, across incomes, to rent or own homes in the places they live, work and love.