San Jose's Coyote Valley Faces Vote For Preservation

Campbell CA

16 November, 2021

5:41 PM

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By Lloyd Alaban, San Jose Spotlight November 15, 2021 Coyote Valley is a sea of green space and wild species along San Jose's southern border. While dreams of bringing high-tech jobs to the valley floor have died, environmentalists want to guarantee it remains largely untouched. The San Jose City Council will vote Tuesday on the future use of Coyote Valley's land—potentially changing portions of the valley from industrial use to agricultural and open space use for farming and wildlife. According to city officials, Coyote Valley is one of the last intact valley connections between the Santa Cruz and Diablo mountain ranges. The valley accounts for approximately 50% of aquifer recharging areas—places critical to drinking water supply. "The impacts of cutting off the wildlife corridor could be really devastating for some animal populations," Alice Kaufman, the legislative advocacy director for local environmental group Green Foothills, told San José Spotlight. "This is such an important moment. With this vote, the city will be at the forefront of climate action. Every other city should be following San Jose's lead and protecting open space." For years, San Jose has anticipated industry moving to Coyote Valley, particularly its northern portion. Decades ago, the city zoned the land for industrial development, hoping to woo big-name tech companies such as Cisco Systems. According to city officials, that hasn't panned out, leaving "little to no demand" for traditional industrial use in Coyote Valley. In 2011, the city estimated North Coyote Valley would be able to eventually accommodate 35,000 new jobs. The 1,700 acres of land are home to oat and wheat farms, as well as IBM's Silicon Valley Lab, Metcalf Energy Center and portions of Gavilan College. Currently, the area comprises 17% of the city's total "employment land," designated for job growth. A closer look at North Coyote Valley. The teal-colored "Remaining Developable Parcels" section on the south end of North Coyote Valley represents the 314 acres that remain undeveloped. Image courtesy of San Jose.The San Jose Planning Commission voted 5-4 last month to not recommend the area be changed and to leave it designated for industrial development. The City Council is not required to follow the commission's recommendation. Environmentalists say leaving the land designated for industrial use threatens the open space with development, potentially destroying the area's landscape. "The value of Coyote Valley is in being a protected area that is rural," Shani Kleinhaus, environmental advocate for the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, told San José Spotlight. "It provides habitat for birds and wildlife and provides people with opportunities to experience our valley the way it used to be, even if it's only a little bit. It's a great value." For years, organizations have pushed for Coyote Valley's preservation. In 2019, Assemblymember Ash Kalra introduced legislation to create a conservation program to oversee the valley, and in 2020, Kalra introduced a bill to protect at least 30% of the state's land and freshwater by 2030. Kalra's 2020 bill stalled, but Gov. Gavin Newsom passed a similar executive order. The San Jose City Council made history in 2019 by unanimously approving $46 million in city funds to preserve 937 acres in the valley's northern boundary. But other portions remain at risk of development. "We have the opportunity to protect one of the few remaining open spaces that will help us fight climate change, maintain wildlife habitats and protect groundwater, and I urge the City Council to not fail future generations," Kalra told San José Spotlight. Earlier this month, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority announced it purchased 60 acres in the Coyote Valley to protect the region's agricultural spaces. The valley floor is roughly 7,400 acres between San Jose and Morgan Hill. The authority has conserved a total of 1,437 acres in North- and Mid-Coyote Valley. "The future of Coyote Valley is a recurring debate," Planning Commissioner Justin Lardinois told San José Spotlight. He voted in favor of changing the land use from industrial to open space. "Once you build on a natural resource, you can't get it back. Developers will always want to build, so protecting Coyote Valley from urban sprawl is always an ongoing fight." The San Jose City Council meets Tuesdays at 1:30 p.m. To learn more about how you can watch and participate, click here. Contact Lloyd Alaban at [email protected] or###a> follow @lloydalaban on Twitter. San José Spotlight is the city's first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting. Please support our public service journalism by clicking here.