My
”
spider sense
”
is tingling. A lot of things simply don’t feel right about the
scheme to convert rural Coyote Valley into the South Bay’s most
densely packed urban district.
My “spider sense” is tingling. A lot of things simply don’t feel right about the scheme to convert rural Coyote Valley into the South Bay’s most densely packed urban district.
Along with about 200 other people, I spent last Saturday at a Coyote Valley Task Force public workshop held at the Coyote Creek Golf Club.
San Jose officials and engineering consultants presented their concepts for the proposed “mixed-use” urban district to be built in the next two decades on what’s now pristine farmland north of Morgan Hill.
San Jose’s grand design is to build a 7,000-acre “city within a city” for a population of 70,000 people.
San Jose’s political leaders believe about 50,000 technical and industrial jobs will be generated in this densely-packed community of high-rise housing and condos. Slide shows and glossy brochures give an idea of the planners’ vision for Coyote Valley.
Two strategies incorporate the construction of a 60-acre lake at the heart of the planned city. The lake would have restaurants, retail stores and public parks surrounding it.
And the mock-up makers have certainly let their imaginations run wild. An image of Venetian-inspired gondolas maneuvering along the waters had me wondering if San Jose isn’t really concocting “Disneyland: Silicon Valley”.
During Saturday’s presentation, I had the unpleasant suspicion I was watching a carefully rehearsed song and dance by San Jose leaders. I’m a bit worried about the nature of the information the public is now being fed about this high-priced project. Are the bread and circuses on offer clouding real concerns about the efficacy, impact, necessity and, frankly, staggering cost of this project?
If we don’t get the right answers to the hard questions right now, during these planning stages, the Disneyland dream could easily turn into a nasty nightmare for both San Jose and the South Valley region.
No doubt, transportation issues will be a huge deal. Consultants on Saturday proposed an internal transit system of trolleys to move people around their proposed city. One idea even calls for futuristic bubble cars – like something out of “The Jetsons” – that people could “borrow” to whizz around the new town.
Public transportation is a tough sell in a county where only 4 percent of the population regularly uses it. And as the population of Coyote Valley City grows in the next 20 years, there’ll inevitably be a parallel growth of congestion along Highway 101, Monterey Road and Santa Teresa Boulevard.
The ripple effect of gridlock in the next two decades would adversely affect quality of life throughout the South Valley.
Crime in the South Valley region could also increase as Coyote Valley becomes a Manhattan-like high-rise city. Densely-packed populations have a historic tendency to attract and produce less-than-law-abiding citizens, and any rising criminal and gang activity in Coyote Valley will no doubt spill over to neighboring communities – our communities.
Air pollution in Morgan Hill, San Martin and Gilroy will grow much worse as Coyote Valley is urbanized. Prevailing winds from the San Francisco Bay will push the Coyote Valley City’s industrial smog in our direction. Say goodbye to clear skies.
Ground water contamination from industry and the 60-acre lake is another important issue not getting the full attention it demands. Consultants on Saturday said a special lining will be placed on the bottom of the proposed man-made lake. But they can’t give a guarantee that, given time, this won’t tear and let recycled waste water seep into our local ground water.
South Valley citizens have already had enough headaches with the toxic chemical perchlorate polluting our water supply.
Continuing on the water theme, San Jose officials at the workshop were unconvincing when addressing flood concerns raised by members of the public. Pounding storms during an exceptionally hard El Niño winter could potentially raise their proposed lake’s level, spilling over and polluting nearby Fisher Creek.
Broader environmental questions: How will the industry and population of Coyote Valley City alter the natural ecology of this scenic region? And what guarantee does the South Valley have that the “greenbelt” San Jose proposes will not eventually be lost as space for more homes and businesses is needed?
The impact on the Morgan Hill Unified School District, reaching up to Bernal Road in South San Jose, is another critical issue that needs to be addressed if Coyote Valley City is built.
Unless district lines are redrawn in the coming years, public education in Coyote Valley will be Morgan Hill’s responsibility. How does San Jose plan to help bear the cost for new schools? How might the quality of public education in the city of Morgan Hill be adversely impacted if already scarce funds are diverted to Coyote Valley?
And speaking of funds, a brand-spankin’ new city for 70,000 will cost billions of dollars. Talk about “sticker shock!” Who will pick up the tab? That’s the key question to which no one seems to be able to give a sufficiently good answer.
Given their track record, if San Jose’s council members can’t keep their own newly constructed City Hall from sky-high cost overruns, how will they manage to build an entire new “model city” under budget?
Growth is inevitable for Coyote Valley. It’s a prime piece of real estate in the South Bay, and developers are drooling to get going at it. But before bulldozers are allowed to start tearing up the land, these issues and others affecting the South Valley still need to be properly answered by San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales and his administrators.
Based on Gonzales’s ethical deficiencies in the past, we’ll need to weigh his answers with due skepticism.
The future quality of life in our South Valley region is at stake.
Martin Cheek is the author of “The Silicon Valley Handbook.”
