REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Action on a General Plan Amendment to the City’s Open Space Element to Add Policies to Address Climate Resilience and Other Co-benefits of Open Space; to Help to Increase Access to Open Space for Everyone; and to Preserve, Enhance, and Expand a Network of Open Spaces.
Report
BACKGROUND
In 2022, the State adopted Senate Bill (SB) 1425, which requires cities and counties to review and update their Open Space elements by January 2026. The Open Space element is meant to catalog the existing unimproved sites within a jurisdiction and the likely disposition of those parcels within the timeframe of the General Plan.
SB 1425 requires cities and counties to update their open space programs to include policies addressing climate resilience and other co-benefits of Open Space, consistent with the jurisdiction’s Safety element. This law also requires that jurisdictions address the issue of access to open space for everyone and to preserve, enhance, and expand a network of open spaces. Staff is bringing forth General Plan Amendment to be consistent with State Law requirements.
DISCUSSION
The City’s Open Space element goals and policies are primarily contained in Chapter 5.9 of the General Plan. The General Plan defines open space lands as unimproved land which is separately defined from developed and actively managed park facilities. Open Space is defined as:
Any parcel or area of land or water that is essentially unimproved and devoted to an open space use for the purposes of (1) the preservation of natural resources, (2) the managed production of resources, (3) outdoor recreation or (4) public health and safety.
Geographically, the City is constrained by other cities at its boundaries and is fully developed. Consequently, it has a very limited portfolio of open spaces called out in the General Plan. Amongst the open spaces are Agnews Park, Civic Center Park (the City Hall grounds) and Ulistac Open Space as the only General Plan designated open spaces in the City. Chapter 8.8.4 Public Open Space specifically states:
Several of the City’s prominent civic and community buildings are located within parks, offering open space focused on civic activities. For example, the Agnews Historic Park, on Sun Microsystems/Oracle’s Santa Clara campus, provides a peaceful open space that also houses four historic buildings, preserved through a historic easement. Use of these parks is primarily passive; however, they provide an open, landscaped setting for historic resources in the City. Ulistac Natural Area, 40 acres of open space located along the Guadalupe River on Lick Mill Boulevard, between Tasman Drive and Montague Expressway, showcases seven distinct natural California and wildlife habitats. Only a few parks are classified as public open space, making up a little more than six percent of the City’s total park acreage.
The City has two planning efforts underway related to parks, trails and public open spaces. First, the City’s Department of Public Works is currently drafting a Creek Trail Network Expansion Master Plan, which is a foundational element of a network of connected open spaces, consistent with SB 1425. Secondly, the City’s Parks and Recreation Department is currently drafting a Parks and Recreation Master Plan, which describes priorities for parks facilities and programs over the short and medium term.
Both documents have been reviewed, and locations of potential facilities have been incorporated into an updated Figure 5.9-1, the Parks, Recreation and Open Space Diagram, which is included as Attachment 1.
In response to SB 1425, staff is proposing text language in the Open Space Element relating to open space access and the creation of a linked network of open spaces to strengthen the policies. In addition, resilience policies from the City’s adopted Climate Action Plan (2022) have been added to the Open Space policies. New and updated open space policies are included as Attachment 2, with proposed changes underlined.
Planning Commission Discussion
On November 12, 2025 ,the Planning Commission reviewed the Proposed General Plan Amendment. Staff provided a presentation that included providing information on other ongoing City efforts related to Open Space, including the Parks and Recreation Master Plan, the Department of Public Works Creek Trail Network Expansion Master Plan, and the 2024 update to the Climate Action Plan. Staff also described the proposed text changes to the Open Space Goals and Policies and the proposed addition of creek trail alignments from the proposed Creek Trail Network Expansion Master Plan.
The Commission asked about how the proposed General Plan Amendment would interact with the Parkland Dedication Ordinance, and staff clarified that the General Plan Amendment only addressed open space, which is defined as unimproved land, and not parkland. The Commission also asked about the possibility of rooftop open spaces. Staff responded that such open spaces could have additional potential for carbon farming, which is a sustainability idea from the Climate Action Plan, proposed to be highlighted as a part of the Open Space General Plan Amendment.
There was no public input on the General Plan Amendment.
The Commission voted to recommend adoption of the General Plan Amendment (5-0-2, Commissioners Bhatnagar and Cherukuru absent).
Recommendation
The text amendment is presented to the City Council for their consideration and action. The following specific actions are required.
1. Find that the Addendum to the 2010-2035 General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the project complies with CEQA, and that the adoption of the Open Space Element Update would not result in environmental impacts beyond those described in the General Plan EIR and no further analysis is required.
2. Find that the General Plan Text Amendment satisfies the SB 1425 requirements to update open space programs to include policies addressing climate resilience and other co-benefits of Open Space; and that the necessary text edits are consistent with the Parks, Open Space, and Recreation Goals and Policies in the General Plan.
Staff recommends the City Council approve the General Plan Amendment, which includes all the above-described actions, as this amendment will bring the City’s General Plan into compliance with the requirements of SB 1425 by helping to create a comprehensive network of open spaces that is accessible to everyone and that helps to reinforce the City’s resilience goals.
Alternatively, the City Council has the option to recommend denial of the amendment, or to request modifications.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The City prepared an Addendum to the 2010-2035 General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to cover adoption of this General Plan Amendment.
The Addendum indicates that the adoption of the Open Space Element Update would fall within the scope of the 2010-2035 General Plan EIR, and would not result in new or more severe environmental impacts beyond those described in the General Plan Update EIR.
FISCAL IMPACT
Adoption of the Open Space element update would bring the City’s General Plan into compliance with state law, specifically SB 1425. These actions would involve no additional resources beyond those needed to update the General Plan.
COORDINATION
This item was coordinated with the Department of Public Works, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the City Attorney’s Office.
PUBLIC CONTACT
A newspaper notice was published in the October 22, 2025, issue of the Santa Clara Weekly describing the proposed adoption of the General Plan Amendment to the Open Space element.
Public contact was also made by posting the City Council 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 <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. Find that the Addendum to the 2010-2035 General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the project complies with CEQA, and that the adoption of the Open Space Element Update would not result in environmental impacts beyond those described in the General Plan EIR and no further analysis is required.
2. Adopt a Resolution approving the General Plan Text Amendment and find that it satisfies the SB 1425 requirements to update open space programs to include policies addressing climate resilience and other co-benefits of Open Space; and that the necessary text edits are consistent with the Parks, Open Space, and Recreation Goals and Policies in the General Plan.
Staff
Prepared by: Afshan Hamid, Director of Community Development
Reviewed by: Glen R. Googins, City Attorney
Approved by: Jovan D. Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Parks, Recreation and Open Space Diagram
2. General Plan Open Space Element Text Changes
3. City Council Approval Resolution
4. Addendum to the General Plan 2010-2035 EIR for changes to the Open Space Element relating to SB1425
5. Planning Commission Staff Report - Nov. 12, 2025