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Envision San Jose 2040

The City of San Jose has kicked off the update of its General Planthe City’s blueprint for growth over the long term. The Envision San Jose General Plan update is an opportunity for San Jose to decide together how best to grow in a changing world over the next several decades. A 37-member Task Force was convened in fall 2007 to make suggestions for how to improve the 2020 General Plan.

Among the issues San Jose will be facing in the coming decades are:

• An aging population: by 2020, Santa Clara County’s population of adults over 65 will nearly double, reaching close to 300,000.
• In the next 25 years, the Bay Area will grow by 1.7 million. Much of that growth will be directed into existing cities and towns, near public transit. 
• Rising fuel costs will require the creation of communities where mobility by foot, bike and transit is safe, convenient and appealing.
• Climate change also means designing cities that use land more efficiently and reduce dependency on cars.

Greenbelt Alliance has a seat on the General Plan Task Force and will use this opportunity to advocate for compact, walkable neighborhoods instead of building on open space. Coyote Valley was at risk of development, and now that plans to pave the fertile valley have been halted, the Task Force will need to decide the future of this area.

San Jose has a golden opportunity to continue its move towards a more sustainable style of development. That means:

• Strengthening the triggers that guide development in Coyote Valley
• Pursuing more compact housing at light rail and Caltrain stations
• Creating a bike-friendly community
• Embracing local produce
• Ensuring adequate parkland

What's At Stake

To meet these challenges, San Jose should not treat the update of the General Plan as business as usual. San Jose continues to design communities for the car and needs to rethink its plans for both Coyote Valley and Almaden Valley. The City of San Jose does not need to modify its Urban Growth Boundary and sprawl out onto working farms and wetlands anymore.

Environmental sustainability is a cornerstone of the Envision 2040 update. Mayor Chuck Reed also unveiled his Green Vision last fall which, among other things, stated the need to adopt a General Plan with measurable standards for sustainable development. These are laudable goals, but San Jose must be willing to make some major changes to the General Plan. Without that, the update could simple be a classroom exercise on current land use policy.

What You Can Do

• Attend General Plan Task Force meetings. Check the calendar for times and dates.

• If you are a San Jose resident and want your community to grow in a sustainable manner and would like talking points for public comment, please email Michele Beasley or call (408) 983-0856.