In 2005, San Jose planned a new "smart growth" community in Coyote Valley. A key provision of the plan was a requirement for 50,000 jobs and 25,000 homes, a two-to-one ratio that would reduce the need for long commutes that clog our freeways and produce more air pollution.

But then the Coyote Valley Task Force, a panel appointed by San Jose city officials, asked city planners to explore the financial ramifications of building homes at the same time as or even before employers move into the 7,000-acre valley. If the City Council approved such a revised plan, SCVAS feared that there is a good possibility that Coyote Valley will end up with a big housing development that never produces jobs and leads to more sprawl.

SCVAS joined with other environmental groups in strongly supporting additional development in Central San Jose as an alternative to Coyote Valley, adding housing where there is existing infrastructure and public transportation makes much more sense than building a new city in an agricultural area where everything needs to be planned and built from scratch.

The official policy of SCVAS is that there should be no development in Coyote Valley and that substantial space remains in Central San Jose for redevelopment.

The crash of the housing market has put this project on the "back-burner" for now, but we are watching this issue closely in case it becomes active again.

How you can help!

• Watch news reports and City of San Jose project efforts for any renewed interest in developing Coyote Valley and contact us if you find any activity.

• You can help with this or other projects that interest you by becoming a Volunteer for Conservation. There are many ways that you can help from simply speaking out as part of our Conservation Action Alert Network to joining our Environmental Action Committee (EAC).

• Make a tax-deductible donation to support this and other local conservation efforts.