Criticism of Cisco Widens

21 September 2000 - 7:30am

Criticism of the Cisco project in Coyote Valley expanded with the accusation by GreenParty presidential candidate Ralph Nader that the project is an example of sprawling development.

Officials from surrounding jurisdictionscomplain that the City of San Jose has tried to shut them out of thedecision-making process by not giving them enough time to digest thefinal environmental report. However, journalist and planner WilliamFulton states that the environmental impact review is thoroughly writtendespite an arbitrary assumption that 80% of Cisco employees will livenorth of Coyote Valley. Environmental attorney Bill Yeates asserts thatwhile there is currently no legal precedent of the kind, a case inappeal may require that cities compensate their neighbors for housingshortages created by development. Another avenue for legal challenge maybe the question of how San Jose will compensate for the agriculturalland that Cisco will use.

Source: San Jose Mercury News, September 15, 2000
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We concluded that a broader conversation needs to occur to define what smart growth is to small cities and rural areas and to identify a set of principles they can use to help guide their plans and decision making.