A level 0.88-acre parcel on the Monterey Corridor Form-Based Code, between Monterey Road and the Caltrain line. The zoning allows townhomes, multifamily and mixed use.
An approximately rectangular lot with about 120 feet on Monterey Road, running 315 to 330 feet back to the Union Pacific and Caltrain corridor. Today it holds a 2,128-square-foot home from 1969 and open land behind it. The lot's depth is what allows several different site layouts.
Parcel 5 fronts Monterey Road and backs onto the S.P.T.C. railroad right-of-way. The assessor map records 120 ft at each end and side lines of 315.20 and 329.63 ft. North is not at the top of this sheet.
The MLS records public water, public sewer and public utilities serving the existing home. Existing service doesn't establish capacity for a larger project. Will-serve letters and a capacity check are the usual first steps.
FEMA Zone X (shaded), the 0.2% annual-chance flood hazard area (500-year floodplain), on Panel 06085C0443H, effective May 18, 2009. The property is outside the mapped 1% annual-chance Special Flood Hazard Area on this panel. Flood designations are based on FEMA mapping and are subject to subsequent map revisions and site-specific verification. The parcel does not intersect the County's Alquist-Priolo fault-zone layer; that is a screen, not a geotechnical clearance.
Drone video and photography of the parcel, the Monterey Road frontage and the rail edge, captured for this listing. Showings are drive-by only.
The City's 2023 Monterey Corridor Form-Based Code regulates building form and street frontage more than use. In the FB-C district, multifamily, townhouse, live/work and mixed-use residential are permitted uses. A buyer chooses the approval route that fits the program.
Uses marked "P" in Table 18.29-2 need no use permit, including multifamily, attached single-family, live/work and mixed-use residential. Projects go through the City's design and building permit review under Chapters 18.104 and 18.108. A Planned Development overlay is mapped in the area; its ordinance and conditions are being confirmed with the City.
An SB 330 preliminary application for a housing project can hold the standards and fees in effect when it is submitted, provided the full application follows within 180 days and the project is not substantially changed; it does not approve the project. A project that includes affordable units can use the State Density Bonus Law for more units and for concessions or waivers of standards such as height. Nearby, the City approved the 66-unit affordable Magnolias project at 59 ft with a waiver.
These statutes offer ministerial approval for qualifying housing, with affordability, labor and site criteria. Eligibility for this parcel, and the City's current state determination, have not been established and require review by land use counsel. The parcel did not intersect MTC's SB 79 transit zones as of October 5, 2026.
Summary of Chapter 18.29, § 18.29.030, and not a substitute for the code. Rely on the City's written zoning determination. *Street-side standards apply only if the side roadway is legally a street; its status is unconfirmed.
| Standard | FB-C (subject) | FB-N, for reference | FB-UG, for reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max height | 45 ft | 35 ft (40 ft vertical mixed use) | 55 ft |
| Lot coverage | 75% max | 75% max | 80% max |
| Front setback | 0–15 ft build-to | 5–15 ft | 5–25 ft |
| Street side | 0–15 ft · 40% min. build-to* | — | — |
| Side / rear | 0 ft interior · 10 ft rear | 5 ft · 15 ft | 0 ft · 20 ft |
| Build-to | 80% of front | 70% | 65% |
| Upper floors | 8 ft stepback at 3rd story+ | — | 8 ft stepback at 3rd story+ |
| Parking | 40 ft min. from front | 30 ft from front | 40 ft from front |
An overhead drone view of the parcel, Monterey Road at the top and the rail line at the bottom, with the FB-C front build-to zone and rear setback drawn on.
Walk the lot as it is today, then switch between six conceptual approaches: townhomes, stacked residences, courtyard housing, smaller mixed use, a mixed-use podium, and affordable or senior housing. They are conceptual scenarios that illustrate potential uses and architectural character. They do not establish approved unit counts, building envelopes or entitlements; overlays, General Plan requirements, density, parking and access require confirmation with the City.
Illustrative study, not an approved project. Massing and all three design styles are illustrative, not an architectural design or a representation of any approved or approvable project. Imagery: drone orthomosaic captured October 19, 2026 around the site, blended into 2024 Santa Clara County orthoimagery beyond the drone coverage. Parcel line from Santa Clara County GIS, not a survey. Neighboring buildings modeled from October 2026 drone imagery; footprints and heights approximate.
All development illustrations are conceptual. Rendered structures, unit counts, heights and layouts may differ from what can ultimately be permitted or built; buyers should verify feasibility with the City of Morgan Hill and qualified consultants. The massing, styling, unit counts and site layouts are not architectural designs, engineered plans, or representations of any approved or approvable project. Actual development requires design, engineering and municipal approvals. Imagery: October 2026 drone orthomosaic blended into 2024 Santa Clara County orthoimagery; parcel line from County GIS, not a survey.
The site sits in the stretch of Monterey Road that the City rezoned in 2023 for walkable, mixed-use frontage. Downtown Morgan Hill is about 0.6 mile south and the Caltrain station about 0.8 mile; townhome and condominium projects are under way to the north toward Cochrane Road.
October 2026 drone photograph, looking east. The parcel fronts Monterey Road on its southwest side and backs onto the Union Pacific and Caltrain right-of-way on its northeast side. Labels are approximate; select the image to open it full size.
Distances from the property, as published in CoreLogic and MLSListings records, or measured straight-line.
About 15,800 vehicles pass the frontage on an average day. The subject sits in the Wright Avenue to Cochrane Road segment. City of Morgan Hill tube counts, August to November 2023, listed south to north.
Source: City of Morgan Hill Engineering and Traffic Survey (signed May 6, 2024), Table 2, segments 69–73; posted speeds from the same survey.
Listed from public records and news reports as market context, not as comparables. Confirm current status with the City.
Adopted by Ordinance 2348 on September 6, 2023, after nearly three years of public review. It rezoned the Monterey Road frontage from Main Avenue north to Burnett Avenue, and from Dunne Avenue south to Rome Avenue, into three form-based districts assigned lot by lot. The code implements the 2035 General Plan's vision of a walkable corridor with buildings fronting the street. Residential projects of 20 or more homes provide a civic space such as a plaza or pocket park.
Morgan Hill sits on US-101 at the southern edge of the Santa Clara Valley. The area around the site has a white-collar workforce, average household incomes near $158,000, and mostly owner-occupied housing.
October 2026 drone photograph, looking northeast. Parcel outline is approximate and for orientation only, not a survey. Distances are straight-line from the parcel. Select the image to open it full size.
North-up map view, Google Earth imagery. Parcel outline approximate, not a survey.
Straight-line distances from the parcel. Drive times vary with traffic on US-101 and Monterey Road.
For directions, street view and live traffic. The property is not open for showing; please view from the street.
Figures cover the area CoreLogic associates with the address (CoreLogic Neighborhood Profile, October 2026); white-collar share is CoreLogic's occupation classification of employed residents. Census-tract estimates may differ.
Morgan Hill Unified School District. Distances per CoreLogic and MLSListings; confirm school assignment with the district.
Sources: CoreLogic Neighborhood Profile and Property Details (October 2026) · MLSListings · City of Morgan Hill 2023 Engineering and Traffic Survey · City of Morgan Hill ordinances 2344 and 2348 · Santa Clara County Assessor and GIS.
The zoning, parcel and hazard factors that shape any project here, with how firmly each one is known today. Medium and low items are the ones to resolve before an offer or an application.
Confidence reflects the public information reviewed for this listing, not a legal or engineering opinion.
| Factor | What we know | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Zoning & approvals | ||
| Zoning district | FB-C Corridor Form-Based, per the City zoning map. A written determination has been requested. | Medium · confirm in writing |
| PD overlay | A Planned Development overlay is mapped in the area; whether it covers this parcel, and its conditions, are unknown. | Low · verify |
| General Plan | The 2035 General Plan applies Mixed Use Flex mainly along Monterey Road. Parcel designation and any density cap not confirmed. | Low · verify |
| Height & coverage | 45 ft maximum, 75% lot coverage, 0–15 ft front build-to zone, 10 ft rear setback, 8 ft stepback at the 3rd story. Code text is confirmed; whether these standards apply unmodified to this parcel depends on the PD overlay. | High (code) · Medium (parcel) |
| Inclusionary housing | 15% of for-sale units outside downtown; fractions below a whole unit pay a fee. Alternatives and in-lieu elections may apply; rental projects are evaluated separately. | High · City code |
| Parcel | ||
| Lot size | 38,400 sf per the assessor; County GIS measures about 37,657 sf. A boundary survey controls. | Medium · survey |
| Side-street access | Listing remarks reference an existing roadway on the south side. Width, ownership and access rights not confirmed. Driveways shown on that roadway in the 3D studies are illustrative, not a confirmed access route. | Low · title review |
| Large corner tree | A mature tree near the Monterey corner. Removal may need a City tree permit. | Medium · arborist |
| Existing improvements | 1969 home, pool and spa. A hazardous-materials survey is typical before demolition. | Medium · inspect |
| Parking | Chapter 18.72 applies: townhomes 2 covered per home; multifamily 1 covered (studio/1-BR) to 1 covered + 1.5 (3-BR); guest 1 per 4 homes; retail about 1 per 250 sf. The half-mile transit waiver likely does not apply (Caltrain about 0.8 mi). Parking, not the building envelope, limits unit counts on this 120-ft-wide lot: as modeled, Path 1 meets its 52 spaces with 53; Paths 2 and 4 are sized to their surface lots; Path 3 needs a podium garage; Path 5 relies on lifts and density bonus ratios. | Medium · confirm ratios |
| Access & fire | All vehicle access is modeled from the side street, none from Monterey; residential driveways must be at least 18 ft wide for two-way traffic (Table 18.72-4). Surface lots in Paths 1, 2, 4 and 6 use two driveways so aisles loop instead of dead-ending; under California Fire Code Appendix D, a fire-access dead end over 150 ft needs a turnaround. Buildings over 30 ft need a 26-ft aerial access road 15–30 ft from one full side, which the side street and Monterey may satisfy. Whether the side roadway is a public street, and its width, are unconfirmed and control all of this. | Low · fire marshal & title review |
| Utilities | Public water and sewer at the site. Capacity for a multi-unit project, fire flow and electrical service not confirmed. | Medium · will-serve |
| Hazards | ||
| Flood zone | FEMA Zone X (shaded), 0.2% annual-chance flood hazard area (500-year floodplain); Panel 06085C0443H, effective May 18, 2009. Outside the mapped 1% annual-chance Special Flood Hazard Area on this panel; subject to map revisions and site-specific verification. | High · FEMA map |
| Earthquake fault zone | No intersection with the County Alquist-Priolo fault-zone layer. A screen only, not geotechnical clearance. | Medium · screen |
| Liquefaction & soils | Not screened for this page. Covered by the Natural Hazard Disclosure report; a geotechnical report sets foundation design. | Low · see NHD report |
| Fire hazard zone | Not screened for this page. The City adopted updated fire hazard severity maps in 2025; the NHD report states the designation. | Low · see NHD report |
| Rail noise & vibration | The rear line abuts the active Union Pacific / Caltrain line. Residential design needs a noise and vibration study. | High · known condition |
| Historic resource | Not screened. The existing 1969 home is past the 45-year age often used in historic review. | Low · verify |
The usual approval steps for each kind of path, and the terms used on this site.
Townhomes or multifamily designed to the 45 ft limit and the form-based standards, subject to parcel-specific confirmation.
Projects above 45 ft or above base density, using affordable units under state law.
These sequences are illustrative, not City-published timelines; actual timing depends on the project, staff workload and any appeals. The 180-day window from preliminary to full SB 330 application, the $960 zoning letter fee and the $1,438.80 limited-review preliminary application fee are from City of Morgan Hill sources and should be confirmed against the current fee schedule.
Rules that control a building's size, placement and street face rather than separating uses. FB-C is the corridor district, with a 45 ft height limit.
The strip along the street, 0–15 ft deep in FB-C, where the building face must sit. 80% of the frontage must be built in it.
An upper floor set back from the floor below. FB-C requires 8 ft at the third story and above, so tall walls don't sit right on the street.
A Planned Development layer on top of the base zoning that can add site-specific conditions. One is mapped in this area; its effect here is unconfirmed.
A short state-law filing for a housing project that can hold the standards and fees in effect when it is filed, if the full application follows within 180 days and the project is not substantially changed. It does not approve the project.
State law that allows more homes, and waivers or concessions such as extra height, when a project includes affordable units.
Morgan Hill requires 15% of for-sale homes outside downtown to be affordable. For 23 townhomes, 15% is 3.45 units: three affordable units plus an in-lieu fee for the fraction. Alternatives may apply; rental projects are treated separately.
How a ground floor meets the street, such as shopfront, stoop or forecourt. Each FB-C street frontage needs at least one listed type.
The records, codes and reports behind the figures on this site, with access dates.