Despite our 2021 victory in gaining protections for Coyote Valley, parts of this critical landscape continue to be threatened with development. Green Foothills is working to protect the valley from a proposed cemetery and crematorium, an energy facility, and the potential for increased development along the Coyote Creek/Monterey Road corridor. We have launched a petition opposing the cemetery and crematorium, and we’re working to ensure that this uniquely important landscape is not further threatened. You can sign the petition at the bottom of this blog.

Heritage Oaks Cemetery Would Impact Wildlife, Water, and Fire Protection

In 2014, the city of San Jose rezoned 275 acres of hillsides on the west side of Coyote Valley for a cemetery. The Heritage Oaks Memorial Park would sprawl over 102 acres – an area larger than 77 football fields – and would include a crematorium, multiple mausoleums and other buildings, and an extensive network of roads and parking lots. As part of this massive project, the developer will carve up the hillsides, excavating the ridges and knolls by as much as 75 feet and using the extracted soil to level out the natural contours of the hills. The developer also plans to install and irrigate 75 acres of non-native turf grass and remove more than 100 native oak trees.

When this project was first proposed ten years ago, environmental groups strenuously objected to this sprawling and wasteful plan, but the city approved the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) over our opposition. The project was then paused for years.

Now, the developer is asking the city to approve a permit for the first two phases of the project. Even though these first phases would only use about 40 of the total 102 acres the cemetery is expected to cover, there would still be serious impacts to Coyote Valley.

The proposed cemetery would:

• Disrupt wildlife movement. The Heritage Oaks Memorial Park is located directly in the path of wildlife movement from the Santa Cruz Mountains across Coyote Valley. Wildlife attempting to migrate through these hills towards Coyote Valley would be deterred by the disturbance, noise, lights, and human activity associated with the multiple mausoleums, a crematorium, and an extensive network of roads and parking lots sprawling over many acres.

• Waste water to irrigate millions of square feet of lawn. The developer also plans to install 1.4 million square feet of lawn burial grounds and non-native turf grass in this phase of the project, and to construct over 3 miles of pipeline through Coyote Valley to convey recycled water to irrigate all this non-native grass. Water, including recycled water, is precious in California, and should not be used to irrigate millions of square feet of grass lawns, particularly when ordinary residents are called upon to remove their grass lawns to conserve water.

• Stretch fire protection services. Wildfire is another impact to be considered. This cemetery would be located in the wildland-urban interface, an area of concern for wildfire risk. Fire protection services would be further stretched by the need to protect this development.

Over 500 local residents have already emailed the City of San Jose to express their opposition to the cemetery. Please sign the petition at the bottom of this blog to tell the City of San Jose that you oppose the Heritage Oaks Memorial Park! All signatures will be submitted to the San Jose City Council.

PG&E Forcing Energy Facility Into a Coyote Valley Orchard

A company called LS Power is planning a new energy transmission line that will connect PG&E’s Metcalf substation, just north of Coyote Valley, to another substation in downtown San Jose. LS Power has asked PG&E for permission to build the terminal facility for the transmission line on the Metcalf substation property, which would be the simplest, cheapest, and least environmentally damaging location. But PG&E has refused, resulting in LS Power instead proposing to build the terminal on the site of an orchard in Coyote Valley over a mile south of the substation. If this happens, six acres of trees will be turned into six acres of concrete and transmission towers up to 100 feet tall.

LS Power would have to bulldoze the orchard currently on the site, dig a trench along nearly a mile of the Coyote Creek Trail, and bore a tunnel underneath Coyote Creek for the additional transmission line that would be needed to connect the terminal to the Metcalf substation. All of this would increase the cost of the transmission line – a cost that would be passed on to the public.

The orchard is right next to Coyote Creek, which is the backbone of the wildlife corridor through Coyote Valley. Animals that depend on the creek corridor to migrate from the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Diablo Range will be subjected to noise, nighttime lighting, human activity, and other disturbances from the construction and operation of the energy facility.

The orchard site also faces Monterey Road, a wildlife roadkill hotspot. The highest incidence of bobcats, badgers, coyotes, deer and other animals being killed by cars is right around this location, proving that animals are desperately trying to get across Monterey Road to the safety of Coyote Creek on the other side. Putting a 6-acre energy facility in the path of these animals will only make this problem worse.

The Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (OSA) is working with Peninsula Open Space Trust to identify effective wildlife bridge or undercrossing locations in the area directly across Monterey Road from the hundreds of acres of open space land managed by OSA. Enabling wildlife passage here will prevent roadkill deaths and help animals get safely across Monterey Road. But that can’t happen unless PG&E allows the terminal to be built at the Metcalf substation, leaving the Monterey Road area free for further conversations and planning for functional crossings.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is analyzing the environmental impacts of this energy transmission project. As part of this analysis, the CPUC will look at alternative locations for the energy terminal, including at the Metcalf substation. Over 400 local residents have already submitted emails to the CPUC in response to our action alert, urging the CPUC to require PG&E to allow LS Power to build the terminal at the Metcalf substation. We’ll be watching the CPUC’s process and weighing in to ensure the full environmental impacts to Coyote Valley are analyzed.

Coyote Creek Threatened By Increased Development

For the past few years, the City of San Jose has been conducting a study on potential new recreational and commercial land uses along the Monterey Road corridor through Coyote Valley. But any increased development along Monterey Road would be on land that is directly next to Coyote Creek, which is the backbone of the wildlife movement corridor through Coyote Valley. Animals could be stressed or driven away by noise, nighttime lighting, and human activity resulting from new recreational or commercial uses.

The wildlife linkage of Coyote Valley depends on the valley’s two creeks: Fisher Creek on the west side of the valley, and Coyote Creek on the east side. Many animals rely on creek corridors for both migration and live-in habitat. The denser vegetation, the greater variety of plant species, and the high-moisture environment offer diverse foraging, nesting, and breeding opportunities. Any impacts to the Coyote Creek corridor would affect the functionality of the entire Coyote Valley wildlife linkage.

To cross Coyote Valley, animals must cross Monterey Road. The only alternative to attempting to run across the road is the Fisher Creek culvert at the northern end of the valley. Running across the road often has fatal results: more animals are hit and killed on Monterey Road than on Highway 101. New development along Monterey Road will only exacerbate this problem.

The City of San Jose is expected to start the public environmental review process for this study sometime in December. Green Foothills will be monitoring the process and will alert our supporters when there is an opportunity to speak out about the importance of protecting Coyote Creek.

What You Can Do

Sign this petition to tell the City of San Jose that you oppose the Heritage Oaks Memorial Park. All signatures will be submitted to the San Jose City Council. We will keep you informed about other opportunities to speak up for Coyote Valley.