The plight of landowners who are
“fenced in” by a proposed greenbelt between Morgan Hill and San
Jose’s Coyote Valley is a difficult one, indeed.
The plight of landowners who are “fenced in” by a proposed greenbelt between Morgan Hill and San Jose’s Coyote Valley is a difficult one, indeed.
One the one hand, development potential for these landowners is already minimal, even without a Coyote Valley greenbelt. Without the population mass that Coyote Valley development is expected bring, their land is not very attractive to developers. Add that the land is in the county, not the city of San Jose, and the lack of municipal services makes it even less valuable.
In the best of times, land as an investment is a speculative gamble, and the difference of just a few yards in any environment can make an astronomical impact on land value.
However, the encroachment of urban life onto this once-rural area makes farming more difficult and a less viable option. It’s difficult to watch your neighbors on the “right” side of the greenbelt line getting top dollar for their land, while yours is subject to strict limitations so that Morgan Hill and San Jose will have a green buffer zone.
We urge the landowners, county officials, and especially San Jose officials whose plans and sphere of influence so impacts these landowners to work together to find an equitable solution.
One solution has been proposed by officials with California FarmLink, a group that works to preserve small farms.
“… farms on the urban fringe can work very well because they can take advantage of direct sales to the urban marketplace,” said California FarmLink’s Reggie Knox.
Knox’s group maintains a database of people interested in farming on the urban fringes.
Another solution might be found with groups such as Nature Conservancy or the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. These groups often buy development rights from landowners, allowing them to reap some profit from their land, preserving it as open space, but allowing the landowners to continue to live and work there.
Working with groups like California FarmLink, Nature Conservancy and the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority also has another bonus: Avoiding costly, time-consuming litigation.
A greenbelt is an idea that has benefits for the greater good, but just like eminent domain, there is a cost for the individual. Let’s do everything we can to make sure that cost is minimized.
