I’m happy to report that the Mercury News has published the Op-Ed I wrote on behalf of CGF regarding why developing Coyote Valley is an environmental disaster. The link to the Mercury News online version is here, and is reproduced here on our website. By the way, the print edition of the article mentions my...
Category: Coyote Valley
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San Jose makes the right decision on the Evergreen project
Following up on our Action Alert, I’m glad to report that San Jose has decided to defer action on Evergreen development until it has revised the City’s General Plan. See the Mercury News: The San Jose City Council rejected a proposal Tuesday night to build homes on land set aside for future industrial growth in...
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CGF Action Alert: Protect Open Space and Stop Bad Planning in San Jose’s Evergreen District!
(This may also be published on our Action Alert page, but in the interest of time, I’m putting it here on the blog as well. -Brian)————At their meeting on Tuesday, May 15, the San Jose City Council will decide whether to approve an updated Specific Plan for the Evergreen District that relies on an outdated...
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Coyote Valley wildlife in the spotlight
The Committee for Green Foothills co-sponsored a highly valuable environmental forum over the weekend, Wildlife of Coyote Valley. I would roughly estimate 100 people attended and listened to three highly knowledgeable experts, Dr. Grey Hayes, from the Elkhorn Slough Foundation; Tanya Diamond, a wildlife biologist at San Jose State University; and Stuart Weiss, Conservation Biologist...
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San Jose on Time Magazine in the year 2040
I participated in a preliminary planning meeting for the planned update of San Jose’s General Plan. These updates are due every 15 years, and starting now makes it possible to make the 2009 deadline. I emphasized four points: The General Plan should control Specific Plans, so the Coyote Valley Specific Plan should not be approved...
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Coyote Valley at San Jose City Council and in Wikipedia
I was at San Jose City Council late last night, trying to save the riparian zone of Calabazas Creek from a Duckett Way development that was using loopholes to bust the City’s 100-foot buffer policy (we were mildly successful). Since I was there anyway, though, I took advantage of the Open Forum to announce that...
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Some Good Coyote Valley News
From the Mercury News: mayoral candidates “stressed that the city cannot build housing there before finding businesses to put jobs into the northern section of the valley. Otherwise, in their view, the city will worsen its tax revenue shortage by having too many houses and too few jobs.” An Op-Ed from Audubon’s departing advocate Juliana...
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Waiting for A Fix-Up of Coyote Valley Planning
San Jose City Council met last night to discuss Coyote Valley, and CGF has sent out an Action Alert asking for true mitigation for the proposed loss of farmland, for a replacement person to fill the vacant environmental position at the Coyote Valley Task Force, and for disclosure of any secret deals made over Coyote...
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Coyote Valley news
San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales has resigned from the task force designing the Coyote Valley Specific Plan. This is likely to be good news, as Mayor Gonzales’ influence has been disappointing – always in the direction of more development, way too soon. Hopefully the City will slow down now and consider other options. On the...
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Joint position on Coyote Valley Farmland Conservation
We submitted the document below to San Jose today. -Brian (And Happy New Year, everyone!) ——- Principles Regarding Farmland Conservation in Coyote Valley January 4, 2006 The Friends of the Coyote Valley Greenbelt, The Sierra Club, Loma Prieta Chapter, Committee for Green Foothills, Greenbelt Alliance and the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society are all organizations...