The Coyote Valley Task Force members have been taking their plan
for the valley around to impress city councils, school boards and
voters with visions of the future. And the vision is, indeed, quite
lovely.
The Coyote Valley Task Force members have been taking their plan for the valley around to impress city councils, school boards and voters with visions of the future. And the vision is, indeed, quite lovely.

The plans follow the current – and sensible – philosophy of integrating work, play, living, schools, retail and service space all together within walking distance. It reserves plenty of open space reserved for leisurely recreation and habitat reserves to protect flora and fauna. Access to public transportation is a major consideration, allowing the whole thing to work.

Taken together, the plan reflects the way big cities were built on the East Coast and in Europe, except that Coyote Valley’s buildings will not be so tall. It’s nice that we’ve picked up on what generations before us have known.

The 6,800-acre Coyote Valley is mainly open space with some remaining agricultural uses. It is the buffer between South San Jose and Morgan Hill, arranged along the Monterey Road/Santa Teresa Boulevard spine and, as such, is of interest to both communities. It also would mean building an entirely new city for 80,000, more than twice as large as Morgan Hill, larger than Gilroy – in fact, larger than the two cities put together.

The new development would have 50,000 new jobs and 25,000 housing units when completed sometime in the future.

No matter how and at what pace the Coyote Valley develops, it will surely have a great impact and life here in Morgan Hill and the remainder of the South Valley.

The plans look like a good thing as far as they go but there are at least two glaring errors.

First, no Morgan Hill resident is on the Coyote Valley Task Force. Russ Danielson, a former Morgan Hill School District trustee is the only member with any connection to the town. While Danielson has a business in Morgan Hill, he still lives in San Jose.

The powers that be in San Jose chose to forego the broad experience of Mayor Dennis Kennedy and others who could have added dimension and understanding to the plan’s structure and – this is not insignificant – looked out for Morgan Hill’s interests at the same time. San Jose representatives say Danielson is doing a good job for Morgan Hill and he probably is, but that would really be up to us to say. And how would we know?

The other problem – and this is a big one – is that because of a historical fluke, the MHSD territory reaches far outside the city limits and extends to Bernal Road into south San Jose, 12 miles north of town.

San Jose City Planning Deputy Director Laurel Prevetti on Monday told School Board trustees “students who will be living in Coyote Valley will be yours and we want to plan appropriate facilities” for them. Will Morgan Hill School District taxpayers be expected to foot the bill for at least one high school, one middle school and six elementaries?

There can be no question of this, considering the current financial status of the district. Even if the district was significantly plumper in the pocket, the issue is that Morgan Hill schools need the money, and taxpayers will hardly be jumping up and down to pay for schools their students won’t be attending.

Trustee Shellé Thomas noted that the district is “hard pressed” to get its own second high school built, and developers should foot the bill.

“I can’t sit up here and say to the community that you are going to have your tax bills increased to pay for schools in Coyote Valley,” she said.

Prevetti noted that a part of the development plan will include a financial plan. One part of that plan should include having the developers, who will profit from the development, build these schools, not just contribute impact fees. And the schools should have all the amenities offered by other Morgan Hill District schools.

The task force’s planning is creative but, because of the present economy, it is unlikely that much of Coyote Valley will actually be developed in our lifetimes. Cisco Systems, the valley’s planned economic engine, has backed out; San Jose is bereft of money and has said it would not allow development without proper financial support.

The second community meeting on the future of Coyote Valley will be held Saturday, Nov. 8, 10 a.m.-noon at the Southside Community Center, 5585 Cottle Road. Details: www.sanjoseca.gov/coyotevalley or Sal Yakubu, 277-4576.

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A staff member wrote, edited or posted this article, which may include information provided by one or more third parties.

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