The Freddy Krueger of land use issues is again the talk of the town as the Coyote Valley über-city of Xanadu is once more before the city council. Growth has alternately made, destroyed, bedeviled, bewitched and dazzled councils for forty years. It has made a few people mayor and destroyed the candidacies of others. It has been the Holy Grail to some and the third rail for the careless. It never seems to leave us. It is the constant specter that haunts our sleep in this city. It is the stuff that dreams are made of.
When the designs of Dutch Hamann, the schemes of the “Fearsome Foursome” and the best laid plans of Ron Gonzales are all laid bare, this much is seen: a small group of willful developers who care nothing for the welfare of our city and its neighborhoods is trying to ram the biggest scam since Enron or Teapot Dome down the throats of a once complicit council and a silent community. Always there have been courageous people who stood up to them—Hayes, Pandori and Reed and soon Liccardo and Oliverio will join that list. No one can fathom the denseness of a good man—Forrest Williams—as he takes his place beside the worst of the “fearsome foursome” as the mouthpiece of the scam too tough to die.
Who will drive the stake into its heart? Who will dismember this fiasco and farce of 25,000 new homes?
This cannot be decided outside the context of a complete General Plan update. Such is only common sense, and even the so-called group of mixed-use advocates—the Coyote Group—with all their millions in plans and their billions in sales dancing in their heads, cannot make a square of this circle. All the king’s men and all the lobbyists’ sophistry cannot put this flawed plan together in the face of worsening budgets and illusory hopes of “job creation” and “reverse commute.” They cannot coerce, threaten, or purchase enough votes on this city council.
Last night the council picked up the stake. Now it is time to drive it home. And if good judgment reigns in San Jose, it will find its mark.
What’s with Oliverio voting against the rest of the council on the general plan? If the vote was split, would he still have voted against it? This was an opportunity for a united front – even Williams went along – what was he thinking?
Right on the mark, Tom. The stake needs to be driven through the heart of this “plan” and the sooner the better. You are so right about Forrest—a nice guy but would be so much better off if he never opened his mouth.
If more people visited Coyote Valley and saw the beauty of the area, understood the wildlife patterns there, and appreciated the habitat, there would be no further discussion. Coyote Valley would be preserved, thereby also preserving the rest of San Jose. Building a new city in CV would hurt the rest of us in addition to the environmental disaster it would cause.
Stay on your Councilmembers. Don’t let up. Make them accountable. Don’t let the land barons get rich at the expense of the rest of us.
The Coyote Valley IS a beautiful place. It deserves to be preserved and held a a tribute to what was the Valley of Hearts Delights.
BUT:
What about the property rights of the families who ranched there all through the years?
Let the various individuals and groups that want to preserve the CV BUY it at the developer price and then lease it back to whom ever wishes to farm it?
John
If I’m not mistaken, the catalyst for the hard push to develop Coyote Valley was the fact that Cisco wanted to expand there. At the time, the argument was, what’s good for Cisco is good for San Jose. (A good argument then, and now). The voters gave their approval for developing Coyote, in part, because it would be good for Cisco. This was the fig leaf for Mayor Corruptus and his chums to go full speed ahead. What started as a development for Cisco has turned into Disneyland, complete with a person-made lake and monorail! As I understand it, Cisco sold its interests several years ago.
I think that Mayor Reed showed good leadership in requiring that the General Plan be updated before Coyote is developed.
Pete campbell
Thanks Tom for continuing this effort – I completely agree.
Poor Forrest Williams, on Monday he was endorsed for Mayor in 2010 and today he comes off as a scumbag. You have to feel for him. NOT. Yesterday he resisted all efforts to close the loop holes on the Coyote Valley fiasco and then showed is true colors by expressing sympathy for the developers in the West Evergreen Development Plan. Even thought he support the memorandum by Vice-Mayor Cortese, he also voiced is support for the Developers by stating is concern for denial of their proposal because of all the money that the Developers put into the effort. It wasn’t until staff reminded him that they went into the agreement knowing the issues before agreeing to fund staff’s time. Seems as if Forrest is more concerned with the developers wallets over the voters. Got to love him.
Unfortunately, after driving through the Coyote Valley on Santa Teresa every day for the last 10 years, the reality sets in. The property will be developed. It is already being developed. It is being developed under the disguise of flood control or drainage control. Actually, the infrastructure for sewers appears to already be going in. It also appears that the heavy machinery is also being used to form roads. Take a short ride and see for yourself. It is just a short ride over the hill after Bernal, toward Morgan Hill. It has been going on for quite a while now, only with more intensity the last few months.
It is only a matter of time until Coyote Valley is fully developed. The dance of the politicians just has to take place for a little while until those against development have been heard and tire out. Then, the hammer drops, the development plan is approved and they get what they want. It is only a matter of time and the groundwork is already being completed.
Forrest Williams must be elected mayor in 2010 or all hope for our city is lost. He deeply cares about the citizens of San Jose and creating jobs for them. Mr. Wlliams supports the environment, the economy and education. Through his leadership, Coyote Valley can be developed in a fashion that balances housing, jobs, transportation and the environment.
Screw Coyote Valley! Just focus on developing downtown into an urban forest with steel, concrete and glass towers.
9 – Those against development will never tire out!
10 – Thanks for the laughs. We need a joker on here once in awhile.
Tom,
By now, you have given several examples of places where new people should not live.
Do you have any examples of where people should live?
13: infill and vertical growth
Tom,
I mean this as a compliment. You are the master of metaphors. I always enjoy your posts.
Tom,
Excellent blog… it would be good if our citizenry could read it in the Murky News as well.
Yes, the Coyote development plan is a huge scam. We barely limp along with our existing infrastructure – schools, police, fire, roads, etc. And not a day goes by that we don’t hear about the impending doom of water shortages.
Should the Coyote Valley be developed in spite of our dilemma, it would only be fair that a Mello-Roos tax be placed on each residence. And to pay for the needed infrastructure, the amount would likely be dizzying – many thousands of dollars per year.
Keep up the good work, Tom; there are very few in our Valley of Heart’s Delight who can speak on this subject so eloquently.
Thank you Tom.
Apparently you don’t have a financial interest in Coyote. It appears the only projects you support impact your wallet.
16 – We ALL have a financial interest in Coyote Valley. What does or doesn’t happen there will impact all of us in San Jose and surrounding communities.
Gee #16, such brevity for such attacks – why not flesh it out a bit and confess ‘your’ biases. My public positions have not changed in 40 yrs.: Good services, strong neighborhoods, and a tax base – incl. the Downtown. Oh, and the control of the city in the elected reps, not hacks in Labor, Development or the lobbyist cult – most of which only try to “buy” not reason. Only the selfish and the cowardly have other goals to state, and they do so quietly and covertly. I have tested mine and my ideas in the public arena for many yrs. – come in , the waters is fine. TMcE
Tom may not always be right about everything, but his stand on Coyote and downtown have been consistent for decades. He has argued and fought to build up downtown and prevent sprawl into Coyote. He has urged that no new residential development be allowed that could not pay for its own urban services. He has supported developers when their interests have coincided with the public interest, and he has fought them tooth and nail when their interests were at the expense of the public interest. He has pushed for San Jose to grow up, not out. And if his family income has benefited because it depends on property in downtown, that is entirely consistent with what is truly in the long-term best interest of San Jose. Tom McEnery will never get enough credit for what he has done for San Jose. And (LOL) he won’t let you forget it.