Coyote Valley task force disbands after developers withdraw support

Morgan Hill Times
April 15, 2008

Coyote Valley task force disbands after developers withdraw support

By Marilyn Dubil

After more than five years of work, the proposed plan for Coyote Valley is incomplete, without a final environmental impact report or fiscal analysis, according to some members of the task force, and a formal recommendation to the San Jose City Council regarding the plan was not made.

Members of the Coyote Valley Specific Task Force met Monday night for the last time with an audience full of interested parties, including a large contingent of students from DeAnza College concerned about environmental issues.

In a letter to the task force dated March 28, Brian Schmidt with the Committee for Green Foothills said making a recommendation to the council would be “inappropriate” because of the lack of a completed EIR or fiscal analysis.

Task force member Ken Sasso, who lives in Coyote Valley, said he has worked the land and represents five generations of Coyote Valley residents and expressed his disappointment that the plan will not go forward.

“One of the people who carried annexation papers to landowners was my father,” he said. “People trusted him, he was a good man, and I’ve tried to follow in his footsteps … I think people will understand my passion about this.”

Task force member Pat Dando made a motion to make a recommendation to the San Jose City Council including four specific points of interest, but after discussion, agreed to withdraw the motion.