GILROY
– The first new trails at the county’s new parkland east of San
Martin could be open to the public in about a year’s time once
county supervisors sign off on plans for the property.
GILROY – The first new trails at the county’s new parkland east of San Martin could be open to the public in about a year’s time once county supervisors sign off on plans for the property.
Officials with the county Parks Department said they’re already making funding and other preparations so there’s little lag time after supervisors approve the plan for the nearly 4,500-acre Coyote-Bear County Park, which would happen this fall at the earliest.
“By jump-starting that we hope to get the park open within a year of approval, primarily the trails and the staging areas,” Park Planner Antoinette Romeo said.
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, which lays out a long-term framework that shows how the park will be developed.
“A park of 4,500 acres does not happen overnight,” Park Planner Elish Ryan said.
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 staging areas would be located near the park’s two planned entrances, one off Roop Road near the former Mendoza house and the other in the Western Flat area near the intersection of San Martin and Foothill avenues.
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.
County officials are accepting comments on both the draft master plan and a draft environmental study on the park. The environmental report analyzes the first phase of the plan more closely than the rest, anticipating that further studies would be undertaken if necessary later in conjunction with specific designs.
The EIR notes that some fertilizers and chemicals used on golf courses can contaminate groundwater, and parts of San Martin already have problems with high nitrates and perchlorate in wells. The draft environmental study suggests impacts could be mitigated to a “less than significant” level by constructing a subsurface storm drainage system in the Western Flat and by managing the golf course under a recent county pesticide ordinance that restricts certain types of chemicals.
County officials have said they plan to pursue an environmentally friendly design for the golf course – similar to the Spanish Bay course in the Carmel area – that incorporates large areas of native grasslands between and around fairways. Ultimate course plans have not been laid out, but officials said last week that they are including guidelines to ensure future designers have an idea of what they expect.
The public comment period on the impact study closes July 21. Copies are available at South County public libraries. For information, call 355-2236 or visit www.parkhere.org on the Internet.
