South County officials will convene to discuss San Jose’s
proposed 80,000-person Coyote Valley suburb at 5pm tonight at the
Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road.
Morgan Hill – South county officials will convene to discuss San Jose’s proposed 80,000-person Coyote Valley suburb at 5pm tonight at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road.
The purpose of the meeting – which is open to the public – is to familiarize South County “stakeholder” groups with the Draft Coyote Valley Specific Plan and the Draft Environment Impact Report, said Morgan Hill Community Development Director Kathy Molloy Previsich.
“The key issues are traffic impacts, housing affordability in Coyote Valley and impacts on South County, schools, impacts on existing roads and parks and air quality impacts,” Molloy Previsich said.
Added Gilroy Senior Planner Melissa Durkin: “San Jose is not planning enough housing to accommodate the service-level jobs that would result. What that does is put pressure on Gilroy, Salinas, Los Banos and Morgan Hill to produce more affordable housing.”
Among those expected to attend are Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage, Durkin, Morgan Hill planners, Santa Clara Valley Water District officials, local educators and real-estate agents.
To plan for long-term population and economic needs, San Jose is proposing to bring 26,400 homes and 50,000 “industry-leading” jobs north of Morgan Hill and west of U.S. 101. Additionally, two high schools, two middle schools and nine elementary schools that would be part of the Morgan Hill Unified School District are included in the Coyote Valley plan.
A 3,600-acre greenbelt is being proposed as a buffer between Morgan Hill and San Jose. The 541-page draft EIR identifies all the major environmental impacts the proposed Coyote Valley development would be likely to have. The document is being circulated for a public comment period that ends June 29.
A final EIR is scheduled to be heard by the San Jose Planning Commission in November. The entire Coyote Valley plan could then go to the San Jose City Council in December.
