Coyote Valley Task Force members demanded consultants provide a
realistic price tag, noting if true development costs are not made
clear soon, plans for the proposed community might stay
”
on a shelf.
”
San Jose – Coyote Valley Task Force members demanded consultants provide a realistic price tag, noting if true development costs are not made clear soon, plans for the proposed community might stay “on a shelf.”
The cost issue, as well as traffic concerns, became the focus of Monday night’s meeting of the task force planning to build the development north of Morgan Hill in the rural Coyote Valley that could eventually be home to 70,000 new residents.
Over the past several months, consultants have publicly presented “concepts” to the task force for building the planned community around a 60-acre man-made lake. They hope the hilly ambiance will attract 50,000 new jobs to the region.
Cost will be the deciding component to the community’s creation, said Jim Cunneen, a task force member who asked consultants for financial figures.
“We’re showing the public the Cadillac version (of the planned community), but there’s a question of whether or not we can afford the Cadillac version,” Cunneen said. “Our motto is, ‘Let’s build it this time.’ We don’t want to leave it on a shelf and do nothing with the plan.”
Task force member Pat Dando, vice-mayor of San Jose, asked city staff to come up with a clearly-defined list of all topics impacting Coyote Valley’s development.
“I would really feel more comfortable if we start a issues list,” she said. “We also need to look at a financial analysis on exactly what we think each of these issues will cost.”
In the past, plans to develop Coyote Valley were held back because true costs were not factored in, she said.
“Before we start an EIR (environmental impact report), we need a pretty good concept of how much it’s going to cost and who is going to bear it.”
No bottom line on the total price tag to construct Coyote Valley over the next 25 years has been publicly stated. Consultants said the process is still in its “conceptual stages,” and it’s too early to exactly define the billions of dollars needed for the entire project.
At an August task force meeting, consultants said the basic infrastructure might cost from $607 million to $800 million. Homeowners will pay for part of this with a one-time surcharge on their newly-purchased houses. Several task force members expressed concern these figures were overly optimistic.
Monday night, Darin Smith of consulting firm Economic and Planning Systems said that computer, electronics, software, Internet, and bioscience industries are most likely to help provide the 50,000 jobs needed to make Coyote Valley viable. However, the situation is a bit of a Catch-22. The basic infrastructure needs to be established to attract these companies which in turn, through taxes, will help pay for Coyote Valley’s continued development. The process will take a long time, Smith said.
“We think the goal of 50,000 jobs that is sought for this area is likely to take several decades,” he said.
Gavilan Community College will play a crucial role in helping educate that workforce. Coyote Valley is in Gavilan’s district which borders north at San Jose’s Bernal Road. The college plans to use funds from a $108 million facility bond passed in March to build a campus for a possible 10,000 students in the proposed community.
Gavilan President Steve Kinsella, who attended Monday’s meeting, said he felt optimistic Coyote Valley will be built if the proposed plan remains “flexible.”
Gavilan is currently in negotiation with Coyote Valley land owners for a campus site, but Kinsella said he could not disclose their identities.
Task force members also are concerned about how traffic will flow through a densely-packed community in Coyote Valley. Much of it centered on plans to dramatically alter the route of Santa Teresa Boulevard through the city.
Consultant Ken Kay of KenKay Associates said altering Santa Teresa Boulevard to take a sharp hairpin curve around the eastern edge of the town’s central lake. The abrupt design is intended to slow automobiles down and make Santa Teresa less attractive as a commuter route.
Kay proposed pedestrians will have an underground passage to get across Santa Teresa Boulevard.
Several consultants proposed Coyote Valley be designed as a “walkable” community where public transportation is key to getting around.
“Communities need to be built to be healthy,” Kay said. “We want to encourage people to walk more.”
County Supervisor Don Gage questioned the concept of making it hard for drivers to maneuver through Coyote Valley’s streets.
“I still see the problem,” he said. “Because you’re trying to slow (drivers) down, that does not mean that they’re not going to go through there anyway.”
Task force member and San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales also questioned the anti-car traffic concept in regards to how it might affect schools.
Parents might find it difficult to drop off and pick up their children if they can’t drive to schools, he said.
Kay also outlined some public land use ideas, including a “central commons” area, a 1.25-mile long swath of open space running west to east which would include park trails and community gardens.
Crossing at the center of the commons might be what Kay describes as a “Santa Teresa spine,” a shorter recreational park running from north to south.
Kay also proposed a recreation facility be built adjacent to the south side of Palm Avenue. If built, it would be on land now considered the “greenbelt” buffering Coyote Valley from Morgan Hill.
Other proposals include five, two-acre community gardens located in parks, and a “festival grounds” of 20 acres for a farmers market and sports stadium.
“This plan has a lot of green space, it has a lot of connection,” Kay said. “This is a real opportunity to build a green community.”
