Dear Editor, The City of San Jose is taking steps toward
developing Coyote Valley by beginning the Environmental Impact
Report (EIR) process, which will analyze the effects of this
project and its alternatives – on the environment.
Dear Editor,
The City of San Jose is taking steps toward developing Coyote Valley by beginning the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process, which will analyze the effects of this project and its alternatives – on the environment.
This is an important time to ensure that the city doesn’t railroad through development of Coyote Valley.
The state requires an EIR to consider the full range of reasonable alternatives so as to provide tools for a sound decision. Alternatives can show less-damaging approaches the agency can take, or even demonstrate the project is unnecessary.
Recognizing the controversy over having sufficient alternatives, San Jose staff promised to present a list of alternatives to the council before starting the EIR. It now appears that won’t happen.
Ask the San Jose City Council to reject the “Progress” Report on Coyote Valley on Tuesday, unless the city commits to presenting a list of EIR alternatives before starting the EIR process.
Required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), an EIR aids decision-making by describing the positive and negative effects of the proposed project as well as of alternative actions.
Often, an EIR fulfills this requirement in name only by contrasting the preferred alternative with options that are politically infeasible. Other times, an EIR proposes a preferred alternative and two other alternatives that differ only somewhat from the preferred alternative, and thus offers no real choice.
City staff presented their last progress report in January, and the Committee for Green Foothills initiated a joint effort with other environmental groups to ensure a full range of alternatives would be considered. Responding to our work and other groups, city staff told the City Council that they would present a list of alternatives before starting the EIR.
Committee for Green Foothills remains firm in our position that Coyote Valley should not be developed. We expect that the inclusion in the EIR analysis of politically and environmentally realistic alternatives to this development will help prevent political maneuvering from ramming through development of Coyote Valley as the only approach for San Jose.
On Friday, April 1, city staff told us they will add a Coyote Valley Progress Report to the agenda for Tuesday evening.
The staff report describes input the city has received on alternatives, but fails to say what alternatives staff plans to include in the EIR. This omission appears to mean the City Council and the public will lose their chance for oversight and feedback over what staff is planning.
We are asking the San Jose City Council to reject this “Progress” Report unless city staff promises to return to the council again with a list of alternatives before starting the EIR.
This gives the best chance of ensuring that the EIR for Coyote Valley analyzes real alternatives that would allow us to preserve Coyote Valley as a rural area.
We are asking San Jose to consider specific alternatives that would provide additional jobs and housing in downtown San Jose and North First Street or in Central San Jose. Another alternative would anticipate eventual build-out of Coyote Valley, but acknowledge that development in Central San Jose should take priority.
In addition, we continue to support consideration of an alternative based on Greenbelt Alliance’s Getting It Right proposal. Only by seeing staff’s proposed alternatives will we have a chance to affect the EIR at the earliest possible point.
Join us in asking the San Jose City Council to reject staff’s Progress Report unless they plan to return to the City Council with an alternatives list prior to beginning the EIR.
If you have time, show up at the meeting to voice your support. The meeting takes place Tuesday, April 5, after 7pm, at San Jose City Hall, 801 N. First St.
Include in your message that you’re writing about a Coyote Valley Progress Report that is being added to the City Council’s agenda, and request that the city clerk distribute it to all City Council members.
Alternatively, you can find contact information for individual City Council members at http://www.s-anjoseca.gov/council.html
Fax or email a copy of your message to CGF so we can track our efforts on this issue: Fax 650-968-8341 or email ac****@************ls.org. Speak up for public involvement and the protection of Coyote Valley. Your voice does make a difference.
Brian Schmidt,
Legislative advocate,
Committee for Green Foothills
