As planning continues for an entirely new community north of
Morgan Hill, the City Council continues to keep a close eye on the
San Jose planners. On Monday Mayor Dennis Kennedy and others from
South Valley met for an hour with San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. The
group tried to make clear how concerned they are that 80,000 new
people will settle Coyote Valley in the next few years.
As planning continues for an entirely new community north of Morgan Hill, the City Council continues to keep a close eye on the San Jose planners.
On Monday Mayor Dennis Kennedy and others from South Valley met for an hour with San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales. The group tried to make clear how concerned they are that 80,000 new people will settle Coyote Valley in the next few years.
“We spent an hour with him,” Kennedy said. “He listened intensely and responded well. We’re making progress.”
Kennedy said his primary concerns are that the 50,000 new jobs will appear before the 25,000 new housing units, putting a strain on housing – and traffic as well – in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy.
“I’m afraid that industry will overwhelm our housing,” he said. “We know the bulk of the traffic will go south (overloading existing housing in South Valley cities).”
Gonzales told Kennedy and other members of the South Valley Summit on Coyote Valley that planners are now looking at phasing development and “doing jobs and housing together,” Kennedy said.
Retired city Planning Director David Bischoff, who is moderating the summit meetings as a contractor, told the City Council Wednesday that, based on what Gonzales said, the numbers may not be as high as 80,000.
“There is a glimmer of hope,” Bischoff said. “The 50,000 job/25,000 house numbers were developed 20 years ago. They are not based on a detailed analysis of the carrying capacity of the area.”
Kennedy said it looks as though planners on the Coyote Valley Specific Plan Task Force, the primary planners, will change the triggers which tie the number of houses to the number of jobs.
“If they slow it down, do it in phases with housing first, that will ease pressure on traffic,” Kennedy said.
Gilroy City Councilman Paul Correa also met with Gonzales and stressed the same concerns that Morgan Hill has – traffic, housing and air quality.
“The meeting was positive in terms of developing a better relationship with our neighboring jurisdiction,” Correa said Thursday. “He was definitely open minded.”
Correa said he discussed the need for some “green” planning in the valley because of South County’s normally poor air quality. The wind generally flows south from Coyote Valley into Morgan Hill and Gilroy.
“Housing is also an issue,” he said. “Morgan Hill and Gilroy are both growth control cities and pressure from Coyote Valley will increase the cost of living here.”
Since Coyote Valley is within the boundaries of both the Morgan Hill School District and the Gavilan College District, board president George Panos and Gavilan president Steve Kinsella also met with Gonzales, each with his own concerns. Bischoff said Gavilan’s problems revolve around the potential need for a large new campus in the valley and there being little extra land available.
“The meeting went very well,” Kinsella said. “We understand the density the city is trying to reach in that area but we do have state requirements we have to comply with. The density (now under consideration) won’t allow us to do that.”
Kinsella said 80-acres is the standard for a full community college campus, though he would not be opposed to shared use.
“Gonzales said he understands our situation,” he said “but, so far, because the San Jose planners are moving so fast we aren’t able to do anything but respond.”
Gavilan district voters passed a building and renovation bond issue in March making money available to build a new campus if needed, Kinsella said.
Because 80,000 people will generate the need for 10-14 new K-12 schools, interest to see what planners have in mind has been high. What they have in mind is an urban-type school, as many as 14-stories high, quite different from the rural-type schools district students are used to, Kennedy said.
Panos said in a faxed statement Thursday that, all in all, the meeting was a positive first step.
“The face to face meeting gave me to present the urgency for the district to plan early and identify locations for future schools,” Panos said. “The meeting also opened dialogue on how best to finance the schools.”
David Vossbrink, Gonzales’ communications director said the mayor, too, found the meeting productive.
“He indicated he will be more than happy to meet with the group anytime they want as the planning process unfolds.”
County Supervisor Don Gage, who was scheduled to attend the meeting, had to cancel because the board was still in budget meetings.
CVSP Task Force member Russ Danielson, who represents the Morgan Hill School District, did not attend the meeting.
“I wasn’t able to attend,” Danielson said, “but I think it is effective for those who did attend to get some private time with Mayor Gonzales.”
He said, as a task force member, he has spent a lot of time with the mayor.
Danielson, a San Jose resident and Morgan Hill business owner, was appointed to the task force after he left the school board where he served two years.
Kennedy said he recognized the value of face-to-face contact with San Jose’s mayor and is convinced that Gonzales is the key person in the planning process.
“If we can get our message to him, that will go a long way to solving problems before they happen.”
A MHSD workshop to discuss the pros and cons of Coyote Valley on district fortunes was held Wednesday, June 9.
The purpose was to gather information and opinion about the district’s options as the development moves forward. All of the proposed development would fall within the district’s boundaries, which extend from San Martin northward to Bernal Road in south San Jose.
Some have asked about who would pay for construction of the new schools. Others have expressed fears that when the Coyote Valley project is completed, there would be more voters there than in Morgan Hill and San Martin.
One option discussed was formation of a new district for the area.
In the case of the formation of a new district, a county office of education committee would make a recommendation, after the study, to the State Board of Education, which would take action, and then an election.
Trustees also discussed the financial impact of retaining Coyote Valley versus requesting a transfer or formation of a new district.
