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April 6, 2005

Early peek at Coyote report

COUNCIL TO GET MEMO ON PROJECT

After listening to public testimony that criticized development guidelines, council members ordered staffers Tuesday to send them a memo that outlines the methods being studied to mitigate environmental problems associated with building a mini-city that would be the size of Mountain View in the sprawling South San Jose valley.

Deputy Planning Director Joe Horwedel said he hopes to get the memo to the council within two months.

Normally, planners analyze the environmental problems associated with a development before crafting remedies or alternatives that guide building. Those alternatives are then published in the environmental impact report. The council directive could change that order, opening the door for members to inject overlooked alternatives into the planning process for study.

"If we do have fundamental flaws in the alternatives, let's find out early,"said Councilman Chuck Reed, who predicted the environmental impact report will likely trigger lawsuits. A draft of the report is expected to be released in September.

Ultimately, the council approved a motion crafted by councilmen Forrest Williams, whose district includes Coyote Valley, and Dave Cortese to approve a planning progress report and have planners send them the memo.

After numerous public hearings, planners and consultants have sketched a preliminary land use plan that includes a 50-acre lake that would be the focal point for retail and commercial development and broad winding roads lined with trees.

This plan has been criticized by the Greenbelt Alliance, a Bay Area non-profit land conservation group, as being too costly -- a factor that could inhibit affordable housing -- and failing to make efficient use of existing roads. A grid-type road system and smaller average blocks would promote walking and bicycling, the group maintains.

In addition, planners and consultants told the council that development in Coyote Valley, slated for 25,000 homes and 50,000 jobs, won't siphon future jobs or inhibit growth in downtown nor North San Jose.

City planners and a consultant, Economic Planning Systems, say Coyote Valley's development dovetails with San Jose's growth schemes that provide a variety of workplace choices: North San Jose, the city's high-tech center; downtown, the cultural center and home to businesses that support larger industries; and Edenvale, a suburban office park.

Using forecasts by the Association of Bay Area Governments, planners say San Jose is expected to add 240,000 new jobs by 2030. North San Jose and downtown development would account for 128,000 of those jobs. Coyote Valley is not expected to reach the 50,000 job mark until 2040, according to a memo by planners.

Planners have been ordered by the council to devise a land-use plan that would maintain the valley's agrarian atmosphere and create a walkable community that is connected by mass transit.

The council has also directed that the unincorporated area between Palm Avenue and the Morgan Hill city limits remain semi-agricultural, a position that has drawn protests from property owners there. Those landowners argue they have been unfairly cut out of lucrative development plans without a voice at the council table.

"We're just adrift,"said Joel Crosby, who lives in that greenbelt area.

Contact Rodney Foo at rfoo@mercurynews.com or (408) 975-9346.

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