On Thursday, May 28, the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority (OSA) will be considering a resolution opposing a proposed battery storage facility in Coyote Valley. Please use the form below to email the OSA Board or speak at the meeting to urge them to approve the resolution to oppose the facility!
What’s Happening
Ever since the San Jose City Council voted in 2021 to rezone Coyote Valley for agriculture and open space, industrial development has been forbidden in Coyote Valley. But in 2022, a developer submitted a proposal for a battery storage facility on 128 acres of farmland in the heart of Coyote Valley. The City rejected the proposal because it conflicted with San Jose’s zoning and land use regulations. Now, the developer intends to bypass the city’s denial and apply to the California Energy Commission for approval.
The OSA Board of Directors will vote on a resolution opposing this project at their May 28 meeting. They must hear from the community that we don’t want a battery storage facility in the heart of Coyote Valley!
Why It Matters
It’s in the wrong place. The battery storage facility would be located in the midst of the Coyote Valley wildlife corridor that allows animals to move between the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Diablo Range. The site of the facility is almost completely surrounded by protected open space. It would sprawl over 40 acres – about the size of 30 football fields – on prime farmland soil that has grown crops such as pumpkins and sweet corn for decades. The site also sits across Monterey Road from the Charter School of Morgan Hill.
These facilities can cause serious fires. Battery storage facilities have been known to cause fires, such as the disastrous fire at the Vistra facility in Moss Landing in January 2025. That fire burned for several days, spewing toxic smoke and heavy metals over a wide area, resulting in contamination in Elkhorn Slough that was up to 1,000 times greater than before the fire and causing significant health impacts in nearby communities.
Battery storage facilities belong in industrial areas. Battery storage is needed for clean energy like solar and wind, but it is an industrial use and it should be located in an industrial area – not on open space or farmland in the heart of Coyote Valley.
What You Can Do
On Thursday May 28 at 6:30 p.m., the OSA Board of Directors will vote on a resolution opposing this battery storage facility. The resolution won’t stop the project on its own — but it matters. The OSA is a public agency dedicated to protecting open space in Coyote Valley. Their resolution will send a strong message that this project would harm Coyote Valley’s ecosystem.
Once the developer submits the project application to the California Energy Commission, the environmental review process will begin evaluating whether the benefits of putting a battery storage facility in this location outweigh the negative environmental impacts. A resolution from the OSA will add great weight to the argument that Coyote Valley is the wrong place for a battery storage facility.
Please use the form below to email the OSA Board of Directors, or if you can, please attend the Board meeting, virtually or in-person, to tell the Board why you oppose this battery storage facility!
What: Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority Board of Directors meeting
When: Thursday, May 28 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: 33 Las Colinas Lane, San Jose, CA
Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/85390531454
More information on the meeting and how to attend and provide public comment is available in the meeting agenda.
