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Press Release

January 25, 2005

Contact:
Michele Beasley, South Bay Field Representative, 408-983-0856

GREENBELT ALLIANCE POINTS OUT FLAWS IN COYOTE VALLEY PLAN, URGES CITY TO SLOW DOWN

Subheading

San Jose—At tonight's San Jose City Council's review of their consultant's progress report on the Coyote Valley development, local advocates will express their concerns with the plan, which many see as being pushed through the approval process too quickly. Greenbelt Alliance, which has put out a comprehensive "smart growth" vision for the valley, identified specific problems with the proposed plan in a letter to the City Council [attached].

"The priorities in this plan are backwards," said Michele Beasley, Greenbelt Alliance's South Bay Field Representative. "Too much of the money goes toward pricey projects instead of real priorities like affordable housing, open space protection, and health clinics," said Beasley. "The City Council should plan for real community needs before adding bells and whistles."

Greenbelt Alliance calls projects like an artificial lake, a complete redesign of the road system, and a new, untested transit system "fundamentally flawed," and says the City Council should look at cheaper, more effective alternatives.

The plan's cost-already $1.5 billion-is now so high that advocates worry it will leave no room for additional funding for land conservation, housing or community facilities. The City has planned to permanently protect land at the valley's southern end as a "greenbelt," but the land's cost will be far higher than the $15 million currently allotted, Beasley explained. Funding for a "Food Belt" in South Coyote Valley, to foster local agriculture and provide fresh produce for the valley's residents, is not included in the proposed plan. In addition, the City's original vision document calls for 20 percent of the Valley's housing to be affordable, but the proposed plan contains only 9 percent. Essential community facilities, like health clinics for low-income residents, are not included in the plan.

Greenbelt Alliance and other advocates are urging the City to prioritize redevelopment projects in North First Street and the downtown before embarking on new development on more remote rural land. "North First Street is a great project; it's already near transit and infrastructure. Let's focus on that first and slow down in Coyote Valley. Coyote Valley is San Jose's last big swath of open space. We should get its development right," said Beasley.

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For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, Fairfield, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org