The Greenbelt Alliance
’s blueprint for developing Coyote Valley is a splendid starting
point for residents, politicians, agencies and organizations that
will be affected by growth in the now-rural region just north of
Morgan Hill.
The Greenbelt Alliance’s blueprint for developing Coyote Valley is a splendid starting point for residents, politicians, agencies and organizations that will be affected by growth in the now-rural region just north of Morgan Hill.
The alliance’s vision for the area includes 25,000 housing units for up to 80,000 people, employers providing up to 50,000 jobs, plans ahead for school facility sites and emphasizes mass transit.
And although some – including Morgan Hill Mayor Dennis Kennedy, may quibble with the details – we’re not alone in endorsing Greenbelt Alliance’s plan.
“They’re right on, frankly,” John Sobrato, chairman of the Sobrato Development Corp., which owns 300 acres at the corner of Bailey and Santa Teresa, said of the plan.
We encourage County Supervisor Don Gage – whose district one territory includes Coyote Valley – and especially Morgan Hill Unified School District administrators and trustees – whose boundaries extend into South San Jose – to get involved in the process for planning Coyote Valley early.
The city of San Jose has already appointed a Coyote Valley specific plan task force to craft a detailed vision for Coyote Valley. Former MHSD trustee Russ Danielson, a San Jose resident and downtown Morgan Hill businessman, is a member of that committee. However, no representative from the City Council or Planning Commission – people living in town who could add insight to the development from Morgan Hill’s point of view – was appointed.
We encourage the city not give up its efforts to place a such a representative on the official Coyote Valley planning committee, allowing the county to make amends for the oversight.
The city and school district need to be a part of the process to make sure the development does not adversely the quality of life here.
The current recession has slowed development in Coyote Valley – Cisco’s plans for a mammoth campus, for example, have been delayed by the slow economy. Let’s take advantage of the time the recession affords us to plan thoughtful development that will give the area jobs and housing together, that will minimize traffic and negative environmental impacts, that will plan for schools located near the students who will attend them.
Development in Coyote Valley will have a great impact within Morgan Hill’s borders and beyond to San Martin and Gilroy. The development will be felt not only on Morgan Hill’s public schools, but on police and fire services, healthcare systems, businesses and residents. It will bring additional customers to the region, and attract businesses that might otherwise not count enough ‘rooftops’ in South County to meet their demographic criteria.
And the development is sure to have an impact on our city’s major arterials (the larger roads) because of increased vehicles as commuters go to and from work.
Even though Coyote Valley is on the San Jose side of the line, whatever changes occur there will greatly effect the rest of South County. The Greenbelt Alliance vision for Coyote Valley is a good step in making sure development there is beneficial to us all.
However, Morgan Hill should not give up its efforts to place a representative from our city on the official Coyote Valley planning committee.
