SAN JOSE
– A proposal to improve the sprawling 4,500-acre Coyote
Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch park cleared one bureaucratic hurdle last
week, but the busy August schedule of another advisory group to the
Board of Supervisors means the project won’t be approved by the
county until October.
SAN JOSE – A proposal to improve the sprawling 4,500-acre Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch park cleared one bureaucratic hurdle last week, but the busy August schedule of another advisory group to the Board of Supervisors means the project won’t be approved by the county until October.
The Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation voted 4-1 on Wednesday to accept a master plan and environmental review for the massive park. Because the county’s Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee has a jam-packed schedule this month, the group’s review of the park proposal cannot happen until Sept. 18.
The plan needs to be approved by the committee before it moves on to the Board of Supervisors for final adoption. District 1 Supervisor Don Gage is one of the committee members.
The Sept. 18 session will begin at 9:30 a.m. and will be held at the County Government Center at 70 West Hedding St. in San Jose. The public is encouraged to attend and comment.
“It’s moving along slowly but surely,” County Parks Planner Elish Ryan said. “The process has been going on two and a half years, so another month is not too long a time to wait.”
If the master plan is adopted as it’s currently proposed, Coyote Lake-Bear Ranch will be one of the region’s premier recreation spots.
As laid out in the draft plan that’s now available for comment, the first phase of improvements would feature 16 miles of trails – about half of the total planned for the park – as well as two staging areas for equestrians. The county also would add showers at existing campgrounds around Coyote Lake and spread out campsites to improve atmosphere.
The first phase is expected to be complete roughly three and a half years after approval. The county has identified $1.2 million that’s expected to cover most or all of the first phase, which could cost up to $1.5 million.
The more dramatic improvements are planned for the second phase, including most projects on the 300-acre Western Flat, the most easily accessible and developable portion of the parkland that sits north of San Martin Avenue on the park’s far-western edge.
That phase would include features such as an 18-hole golf course and events center, a facility for equestrian and agricultural education, a bike park and irrigated turf areas.
The idea is to complete those improvements – probably in stages – within a decade, but the timeline depends on funding availability. Projects in this phase are expected to cost between $23 million and $30 million.
New campgrounds near Coyote Lake and an environmental education center are among improvements in a third phase that would cost between $1.1 million and $2.4 million.
The county purchased the former Harvey Bear and Mendoza ranches adjacent to Coyote Lake County Park in 1998 for about $11 million and has been working to craft a master plan for the combined parklands since the winter of 2000 with a community task force.
While the existing Coyote Lake County park is open, the new lands remain closed to the public until officials complete the master plan.
