REPORT TO NEIGHBORHOOD UNIVERSITY RELATIONS COMMITTEE
SUBJECT
Title
Neighborhood University Relations Committee Work Plan Priorities Discussion and Creation
Report
BACKGROUND
On April 8, 2025 the City Council took action to restructure the Neighborhood University Relations Committee (NURC) to achieve a more inclusive Committee reflecting the diverse interests and promoting collaboration within the various interest groups and stakeholders in the community. The Committee is now comprised of seven members: two City Councilmembers; two members of Santa Clara University staff; one Santa Clara University student; one Old Quad resident; and one property owner/landlord representative. The NURC meets three times per year.
At the March 2, 2026 NURC meeting, Committee members were informed of a work plan priority setting exercise that was planned for the May 18, 2026 meeting. Committee members were invited to submit to staff their priority topics by April 17. The priority work plan topics will inform future NURC agendas in which information on the topic would be shared and discussion would occur.
DISCUSSION
To establish and pace the expected agenda items and workload for 2026 thru 2027, the Committee will review potential work plan topics at the May 18, 2026 meeting. The Committee members will discuss the topics and then individually indicate their top priorities through an exercise held at the meeting. The top collective priorities will be placed in order at the top the priority list. Below is a list of workplan priorities shared by the Committee members as well as by community member, Mark Kelsey who sent suggested priority topics to the Committee prior to the previous meeting on March 2, 2025. While many topics overlap, staff has grouped the workplan topics submitted by different individuals that have very similar themes and scope.
Workplan Priority Topics Submitted with Similar Themes:
Decreasing Garbage and Litter in the Neighborhood
• Garbage and Litter
• Consider allowing curbside bins in specific areas such as Bellomy and Washington to mitigate garbage accumulating in high student population zones
Pedestrian Safety
• Painting more red curbs for daylighting
• Propose installation of stop signs and crosswalks at key intersections
Preparation Discussions for Any Potential SCU Expansion in the Future
• SCU’s expansion plan and Medical School
• SCU Use Permit Review
Improving Resident Relationships with Collaborative Events
• Better relationship with residents - Halloween, Picnic in Park, tours of campus, cultural events
• Explore organizing an SCU-supported neighborhood cleanup day
Lease Standard Recommendations for Non-SCU housing in the Neighborhood
• Model lease for non-SCU owned mini-dorms
• Development of voluntary standards and agreements for owners and property managers based on the model developed by SCU for their Neighborhood Units.
Reviewing Parking Surrounding the University
• Permit Parking pilot program
• Review of parking issues in the SCU area
Assessing More Off-Campus Housing Opportunities for Students
• Support higher density housing for students near campus but away from neighborhood
• Development of plans to manage increasing SCU off campus housing demand.
Other Individual Work Plan Topics:
• End of Year Clean up and trash pick up (actual City program vs. ongoing litter topic)
• Review of neighborhood ambassadors program - achievements, plans
• Update on impacts of new zoning code for 25% common space
• Better relationship with City - internships, jobs, capstone projects
• Reinstate Campus Safety neighborhood drives to document and report problem properties
• Cunningham Shoquist Center for Applied AI and Human Potential
• SCU Graduation
• SCU Summer Orientation
• Progressive Code Enforcement fines
• Recommendations for prioritizing city resources by identifying and focusing on the smaller areas with the most issues.
Staff analyzed the work plan priorities listed for scope, alignment with NURC’s purview, and impact to current resources. Three proposed priority topics are ones that need to be addressed carefully to stay within existing city resources and scope of the NURC.
Topics related to evaluating potential SCU expansion, should be limited to reviewing the current Use Permit and discussing what areas could be incorporated when/if Santa Clara University chooses to revise the Use Permit. The current Use Permit will be valid until Santa Clara University requests changes and any conditions the City includes in Use Permits must have a legal nexus.
Topics related to considering more housing off campus should be based on information available from planning efforts surrounding the University currently underway, such as the Santa Clara Station Area Specific Plan and the City’s Request for Proposals for development that will be released in the near term for the city-owned property at 900 and 1000 Lafayette in the Downtown Precise Plan area.
The one priority topic which recommends prioritizing city resources by identifying and focusing on the smaller areas with the most issues, will take additional analysis and resources beyond currently established. Trends on specific areas in the neighborhood may appear when other priority topics are individually discussed.
The NURC is held as three meetings annually during the Fall, Winter, and Spring. To pace the work as these priority work plan topics will take coordination and staff work between NURC meetings, staff recommends one topic substantively be included at each future meeting. Staff also recommends the continuation of neighborhood updates as a standing NURC agenda item to provide the Committee a current pulse on public safety, code enforcement, and planning metrics and topics.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered does not constitute a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15378(a) as it has no potential for resulting in either a direct physical change in the environment, or a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact to the City other than staff time.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Community Development Department, Police Department, and City Manager’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the NURC agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Committee to accept the workplan Neighborhood University Relations Committee priorities for 2026 and 2027 arising from the priority setting exercise conducted.
Staff
Reviewed by: Reena Brilliot, Director of Economic Development & Sustainability
Approved by: Jovan Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Communications from community member Mark Kelsey proposing work plan items