Coyote Valley preservation ‘a gift to future generations’
San Jose approves purchase, ending years of development battles for 937-acre property
In a monumental move to slow down urban sprawl in San Jose, the City Council on Wednesday approved a historic $93 million deal to purchase 937 acres in Coyote Valley, a rural expanse of farmland and open space on the south side of the city.
The council’s unanimous decision — sealed with celebratory hugs and applause from dozens of residents and environmental activists in council chambers — culminates more than three decades of development battles over one of Silicon Valley’s
most desirable landscapes.
“Today we’ve announced a gift to future generations — a gift in the preservation of Coyote Valley for their delight and their inspiration,” Mayor Sam Liccardo said.
Coyote Valley has been considered by numerous big tech companies as a prime location for their headquarters over the years, including Apple in the 1980s and Cisco Systems in the 1990s. The land in North Coyote Valley, which is currently zoned for light industrial development, can accommodate 35,000 jobs, according to the city’s general plan.
But in both cases, environmental groups came out in droves to protest the projects and adamantly argued that the area — currently used by farmers and wildlife — should be
left in its natural state.
The undeveloped land, which runs down the western edge of Highway 101 and abuts Bailey Avenue, contains the South Bay’s largest remaining freshwater wetland, offers natural flood protection for the city and forms a key connection that will allow wildlife — from mountain lions to deer — to move from the Diablo Range to the Santa Cruz Mountains, scientists say. It’s also home to numerous rare and endangered species, including the jewel flower, bay checkerspot butterfly, red-legged frog, western burrowing owl and tiger salamander.
The purchase, which is expected to be finalized at the end of the month, will not only protect the land from future development but also provide valuable flood protection for residents so that when Coyote Creek floods, water can fan out over the open area instead of deluging surrounding neighborhoods, as it did in 2017.
Walter Moore, president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust, said the council’s support for protecting the last undeveloped, flat valley in San Jose reflects “modern, smart growth.”
“San Jose is putting jobs and housing where today’s workforce wants to be rather than encouraging further sprawl, which leads to traffic, congestion and expensive city infrastructure,” Moore said.
But at least once resident in the audience Tuesday voiced concern over the potential loss of jobs in the area due to the deal.
Ken Saso, a 75-year-old Coyote Valley native, said he supported the land preservation in North Coyote Valley but wants the council to promise to keep the thousands of anticipated jobs in the southern section of the neighborhood.
“By not allowing development in Coyote Valley, all you’ve done is push people further and further south, forcing them to commute two to three hours a day,” Saso said in an interview after the meeting. “We need jobs where we are so we can reverse commute the traffic.”
Under the deal, the city will pay $46 million, and the Peninsula Open Space Trust, a nonprofit group based in Palo Alto, will pay $42 million to buy the property from leading Silicon Valley developers Brandenburg Properties and the Sobrato Organization. The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority also will contribute $5 million.
The city’s share for the purchase will be funded by Measure T, a $650 million bond measure approved by San Jose voters last November to upgrade emergency services, pave roads, build bridges and improve flood control. That measure, which was passed by 71% of voters, earmarked up to $50 million to preserve Coyote Valley.
When the purchase is completed, San Jose will retain ownership of 296 acres, and the remaining land will go to the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority, which will be responsible for managing and opening the land to the public.
Andrea Mackenzie, the authority’s general manager, said the council’s vote was just the first step toward realizing the full vision for the land.
The agency plans to begin offering docent-led tours for the residents in the next month, according to Mackenzie. Although the property currently doesn’t have trails, the tours will be held on the roads on the property, giving the public a chance to see the land up close and also offer their own visions for the site.
Once the land purchase is completed, the authority will lead a three- to fiveyear planning effort with public meetings to develop more detailed plans for the land, including trails from both hikers and bikers, areas for sustainable agriculture opportunities, restoration of creeks and wildlife tunnels and corridors under Monterey Highway.
“We have a once-in-ageneration opportunity to protect and preserve one of the Bay Area’s most significant natural landscapes to benefit nature and people and to be a model for other municipalities and the state to follow using naturebased solutions to build resilience to a changing climate,” Mackenzie said.
Councilmember Sergio Jimenez, whose concept of open space while growing up in East San Jose was limited to the patio outside of his affordable housing complex, called this purchase “monumental and vital” for the next generation.
“This is truly monumental and important,” said Jimenez, who represents the Coyote Valley area. “It represents another opportunity for kids that maybe can’t afford to go to places like Yosemite to have something nearby that they can visit and appreciate and begin to learn to love nature.”
Despite the region’s growing housing crisis, Liccardo said the preservation of the land played a key in the city’s effort to build affordable housing efficiently and effectively.
“We got into this mess of traffic congestion and inaccessible housing because we’ve been a sprawling valley for the last half-century,” Liccardo said. “This is our moment to change that dynamic by protecting our hillsides and open spaces from urban sprawl and focusing housing and development in the downtown core.”