Update: Thank you to the many people who participated in the City of San Jose community meeting on August 28. The city definitely heard from the public that Coyote Valley needs to be protected from development, including along the Monterey Road corridor. The city is continuing to gather community feedback on this issue and eventually the City Council will vote. We’ll keep you posted! Meanwhile if you haven’t emailed the city yet, you can still do so using the online form in the “What You Can Do” section of this article, below.

On Monday, August 28 at 6:00 p.m., the City of San Jose will hold a community meeting over Zoom to gather feedback on the Coyote Valley Corridor Study for Monterey Road. Please attend the Zoom meeting (see Zoom link at the bottom of this blog) or email the city and tell them not to roll back the protection of Coyote Valley!

What’s Happening

The San Jose City Council voted in November 2021 to change the General Plan land use designation and zoning in North Coyote Valley to open space and agriculture, protecting Coyote Valley from industrial development. However, at that same meeting, the Council also asked Planning staff to conduct a study about potentially allowing new commercial and recreational uses along the Monterey Road corridor through Coyote Valley. Now, Planning staff is holding a community meeting over Zoom to gather feedback for this study.

Monterey Road landowners are asking for many kinds of inappropriate development to be allowed, from restaurants, beer gardens and event centers to massive suburban sprawl. Development like this could be devastating for wildlife. It’s critical for city staff to hear from community members, not just the landowners, about the future of Coyote Valley.

Why It Matters

Coyote Creek runs along the back of the Monterey Road parcels, and is a critical wildlife habitat area and movement corridor. The bobcats, deer, raptors and other wildlife that depend on Coyote Creek’s riparian forest would be significantly harmed by noise, nighttime lighting, trash and other impacts from development.

The Monterey Road landowners claim that they deserve to have a special zoning district just for them because Monterey Road is a high-traffic area. But that traffic also makes Monterey Road a roadkill hotspot. More animals are struck and killed on this road than anywhere else in Coyote Valley, including Highway 101. Increased development here would mean more traffic and more animal deaths.

The entire San Jose community celebrated the City Council’s landmark 2021 decision to protect Coyote Valley. Rolling back that protection for the Monterey Road corridor would be a giant step backwards.

What You Can Do

Please attend the Zoom meeting or, if you are unable, email the city using the form below, and tell them not to roll back the protection of Coyote Valley!

Zoom meeting info:
Monday, August 28, 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Click this link to join the Zoom meeting: https://sanjoseca.zoom.us/j/91394314339
More details are available on the city’s website: Coyote Valley Corridor Study community meeting