con't. COYOTE VALLEY ON THE FAST TRACK

Two members of the council, San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, and Forrest Williams, crafted the policy statement as part of memo they floated in May to jump-start Coyote development. Neither Gonzales nor Williams, who head the task force, were available for comment after the meeting, but both are in favor of new, or fewer, triggers.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage, who has expressed reservations about the effects the proposed 50,000 new residents in Coyote will have on county roads and services, said he thinks the triggers are still in place. For now.

"I don't think we voted to replace the triggers," Gage said. "There are still things we need to talk about, like phasing and the 2-to-1 [ratio of jobs to housing model], but there are implications there. We're not satisfied with all that."

The task force also agreed Monday that mitigation fees to protect the greenbelt at the southern and eastern edges of Coyote Valley should be spread among all residential and commercial projects and not be paid only by homebuilders who develop land at low densities. Members also voted to enforce policies that call for 20 percent of housing in Coyote be so-called affordable housing.

All policy developed by the task force must be approved by the San Jose City Council before it becomes part of the city's general plan. By November, the council is expected to consider a plan that will allow at least 5,000 new homes to be built pending completion of Coyote Valley's environmental impact review and clearing of other regulatory hurdles.

The task force will take up home building at its next meeting, Monday, Sept. 12.

Coyote Valley development: Why it matters

Developing the 7,000 acres of Coyote Valley will eliminate the most significant non-urban buffer between San Jose and South County. The Coyote Valley Specific Plan envisions a pedestrian-transit-friendly-community of 25,000 homes, 50,000 jobs and 50,000 residents. The plan has been contingent on a series of economic triggers that were created in 1993 to ensure development occurred at a reasonable pace and only when necessary. The San Jose City Council will now consider whether to remove the triggers and allow residential development right away, a proposal that will meet opposition from:

Santa Clara County officials, who are worried that fast-paced or hopscotch development will strain county roads and other services.

Morgan Hill Unified School District officials believe thousands of new residents will overwhelm the school district, which includes Coyote Valley.

Environmentalists, who consider Coyote Valley to be critical habitat and an important ecological resource. They say San Jose should focus development in other areas, such as downtown and the North First Street corridor.

Land owners in the southern, or greenbelt, section of Coyote Valley, who think the plan, which doesn't allow development in that area, damages their property values.

Visit the Coyote Valley Project's Website for more information: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/coyotevalley/