Lost a Coyote Valley skirmish, but watch this space

A half-hour ago, San Jose City Council failed to require City staff to present a list of alternatives for Coyote Valley development prior to beginning the EIR for Coyote, despite the fact that staff had promised that list at a previous meeting. The vote couldn't have been closer - it was a tie 5-5 vote, with no one representing District 7 to break the tie. Reed, Lezotte, Yeager, Pyle, and Chirco tried to get staff to come through, while Gonzales, Williams, Chavez, Campos, and Cortese let them off the hook.

At the January 25th City Council meeting, staff made the following promises:

Vice-Mayor Chavez: Does scope of the EIR, will that come to the Council?

Laurel Prevetti: It can, we, I think from the comments we have heard this evening and the interest on the part of the Council to understand the alternatives especially economically I’m thinking that may be the next status report to you so you have a direct say in the alternatives that we look at.

Vice-Mayor Chavez: I think that’s going to be important.

……

Councilmember Reed [to City Planner Laurel Prevetti]: Can you just clarify what’s coming back to us, next?

Laurel Prevetti: Based on the conversation this evening, the next thing will come back to you is a scope of what will be the alternatives for the EIR, I think given the public comments and your own comments as it relates to other studies in our community, we would like to frame those alternatives for your consideration….

Councilmember Reed: Thank you, and is that understood by the maker of the motion [Councilmember Williams], is that what you understand is going to happen? Okay, thank you.


I played the second half of this transcript on a cassette recorder at tonight's hearing - not sure if it seemed overdramatic, but Councilmembers Reed and Pyle seemed unhappy with staff's failure to come through. I'm disappointed though that Vice-Mayor Chavez didn't seem affected by staff's unfulfilled promise.

HOWEVER, watch this space - Councilmember Cortese supported getting a list of alternatives from staff, but didn't want a delay with another hearing. That's something we can now ask for, and I count six votes for that idea. Watch this space.

-Brian