San Jose
– The Coyote Valley draft environmental impact report, released
Monday, includes options for a scaled-down version and an entirely
different project location in north San Jose.
San Jose – The Coyote Valley draft environmental impact report, released Monday, includes options for a scaled-down version and an entirely different project location in north San Jose.
The 600-page document addresses 16 major topic areas, including transportation, water supply, cultural resources and energy – all tied to the possible development of Coyote Valley 12 miles south of downtown San Jose.
At the heart of the draft environmental impact report (EIR) are dozens of “significant” impacts with corresponding mitigation measures as well as several impacts San Jose planners list as “Significant Unavoidable.”
Planners and their consultants identified the impacts and developed the proposed mitigations.
The report also lists alternatives to the proposed suburb such as a scaled-down version and an entirely different project location in north San Jose.
An EIR is a state-mandated disclosure of all major impacts a development is likely to have. It’s the next milestone in long-range plans to bring 25,000 homes and 50,000 jobs north of Morgan Hill and west of U.S. 101.
Now that the draft EIR is out, the document has been posted on San Jose’s Web site and will be circulated for a 60-day public comment period. Members of the public can submit written comments and attend forums to give feedback on the record.
Community meetings are scheduled for April 19 at San Jose City Hall and May 2 at the Coyote Creek Golf Club located on Coyote Creek Golf Club Drive.
After the two-month comment period ends, planners will compile the feedback and respond to what they see as “significant” concerns in a revised EIR.
Supervisor Don Gage, one of 20 task force members helping to shape the Coyote Valley vision, said he and his staff are still digesting the challenging report. He noted Coyote Valley’s future is still up in the air and the draft EIR includes options such as developing less of the 7,000-acre valley or incorporating the project with plans to develop the approximately 5,000-acre Rincon de los Esteros area of north San Jose.
“There’s 2,400 acres of farmland that could be impacted,” Gage said. “It’s going to increase traffic and affect air quality for South County. It’s going to be wait and see … and review.”
Many feel the city’s pending general plan review and high level of interest in the North First Street project could stall Coyote Valley development for years.
The final EIR is tentatively 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 for approval.
