Practically 400 acres of open land that after was deliberate for places of work and parking tons in Coyote Valley, a scenic rural expanse on San Jose’s southern edges, is shifting into public possession to turn out to be a part of an open house protect for wildlife, flood management and recreation.
The Peninsula Open House Belief, a non-profit environmental group based mostly in Palo Alto, is promoting the 376-acre property, referred to as Laguna Seca, for $16 million to the Santa Clara Valley Open House Authority, a authorities company in San Jose. That’s a reduction: the land belief, generally referred to as POST, purchased it for $21 million 5 years in the past.
“These acres belong to the public now,” mentioned Andrea Mackenzie, normal supervisor of the Santa Clara Valley Open House Authority. “These lands are officially and forever in public ownership. They belong to the people for generations to come for the benefit of everybody.”
The property is situated alongside Bailey Avenue, west of Freeway 101. It’s a part of 937 acres that POST, town of San Jose and the open house authority bought in a historic deal in 2019 for $93 million from main Silicon Valley builders Brandenburg Properties and the Sobrato Group. POST had been holding the 376-acre piece till the open house company may may elevate $16 million in state parks and flood management grants to cowl the sale worth.
Within the Nineteen Eighties, Apple eyed Coyote Valley as a spot to construct its world headquarters. Within the Nineties, Cisco Programs tried to construct an enormous campus there.
Each had been fought by environmental teams, who mentioned the realm — at the moment utilized by farmers and wildlife — needs to be left in its pure state. In recent times, San Jose leaders together with former Mayor Sam Liccardo and present Mayor Matt Mahan have pushed for brand new improvement downtown and in different already developed areas of town, and urged that Coyote Valley be left in its pure state.
In consequence, buyers who purchased parcels in Coyote Valley anticipating it to turn out to be a sprawling mixture of workplace buildings, tech campuses and subdivisions, are slowly promoting out to conservation teams, who say that preserving San Jose’s largest agricultural and rural space is important.
Of the 937 acres within the 2019 sale, town of San Jose, which contributed $46 million, will maintain 296 acres in an space of North Coyote Valley referred to as Tulare Meadows. POST is predicted to promote the remaining 265 acres to the open house authority subsequent yr.
“It’s not just a property here or there,” Mackenzie mentioned. “It’s an entire landscape we are preserving for people and wildlife, with all the benefits — agriculture, clean air, clean water, public access.”
The properties shall be added to the present Coyote Valley Open House Protect, a 343-acre property off Palm Avenue with 4 miles of trails by rolling hills, oaks woodlands and native grasslands which might be open to hikers, horse riders and bicyclists.
In the meantime, one other giant property which abuts Coyote Valley Open House Protect to the south additionally is predicted to be added to the protect someday subsequent yr, Mackenzie mentioned.
That property, Tilton Ranch, an 1,861-acre expanse of rustic hillsides in South Coyote Valley, north of Morgan Hill, was bought for $18 million in 2020 from a longtime ranching household that moved operations to Montana. Its new proprietor is the Santa Clara Valley Habitat Company, a authorities company that preserves open house as a part of a broad countywide plan wherein builders pay charges to offset hurt they do to endangered species on their properties to allow them to get hold of permits. The habitat company will maintain possession of Tilton Ranch, however signal an settlement with the open house authority to function it and permit public entry.
The Laguna Seca property, whose 376-acre escrow closes Thursday, already has been open for docent-led excursions, Christmas hen counts, bike rides and different occasions, Mackenzie mentioned. The open house authority continues to work on a grasp plan for it and the opposite properties. It was delayed throughout COVID, and is predicted to be completed in 2026, she added. That plan will spell out which components shall be restored and the place new trails shall be constructed.
The property is effective not solely as a wildlife hall for deer, coyotes, mountain lions and different wildlife, but additionally as a pure flood management basin, the place water from Coyote Creek can settle in huge storms and seep into the bottom, slightly than flooding neighborhoods and roads.
POST, which has spearheaded lots of the offers in Coyote Valley, mentioned it’s happy with the progress up to now, and plans for extra
“The public’s consistent support for conserving Coyote Valley’s ‘last chance’ landscape,” mentioned Walter Moore, president of POST, “is vital to realizing all of the benefits this landscape can provide.”
