REPORT TO PLANNING COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Recommendation 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
Adopted in 2010, the City's General Plan (2010-2035) represents the long-term goals for the City's future and guides decisions during its timeframe. State law requires that General Plans include seven mandated "elements," including Land Use, Circulation, Housing, Safety, Noise, Conservation and Open Space; an Environmental Justice element will be required in the future. The 2010-2035 Santa Clara General Plan is an "integrated" document, meaning it does not have independent elements, except for the Housing Element. Instead, the General Plan includes a matrix, set forth in Appendix 8.4, listing where each of the state-mandated elements are contained.
From time to time, the elements are updated to be consistent with changes in State Law. 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.
DISCUSSION
The City's Open Space element goals and policies are primarily contained in Chapter 5.9 of the General Plan. The State's General Plan Guidelines define open space as unimproved ...
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