REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Study Session on the Tasman East Specific Plan
Report
BACKGROUND
[The City of Santa Clara 2010-2035 General Plan identifies the Tasman East Focus Area, bounded by Tasman Drive to the south, Lafayette Street to the west, the municipal golf course to the north and the Guadalupe River to the east, as a Focus Area intended to support new higher density residential development during the timeframe of the General Plan. The City began preparation of the Tasman East Specific Plan in 2016 in order to establish land use policies that will guide the implementation of new development consistent with the General Plan vision. The Specific Plan process has provided multiple opportunities for community input including previous City Council study sessions on April 11, 2017, June 6, 2017 and February 6, 2018 at which the City Council provided direction for the planning process.
Preparation of the Specific Plan is scheduled to be completed for City Council consideration scheduled for November of this year. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is under preparation and scheduled for public circulation at the end of this month.
The purpose of the June 26, 2018 study session is to provide the City Council with a summary of key features of the Specific Plan under preparation in advance of the EIR circulation and to describe the next steps in the Specific Plan process.]
DISCUSSION
Vision
The vision set forth in the Tasman East Specific Plan is to create a new high-density five to eight stories residential neighborhood in Santa Clara focused on an inviting streetscape and urban amenities, including retail uses with outdoor seating, urban-scaled parks that complement the built environment, and a network of greenways that allow for additional pedestrian connections through the neighborhood. Streets within the Specific Plan area will include wide sidewalks, park strips with large trees, and ample space for businesses to place tables, chairs and umbrellas. Parks, plazas and other open space amenities will have an urban character and be planned to support a wide variety of “placemaking” activities.
Land Use
Consistent with the envisioned urban character, residential densities in the neighborhood are planned to be a minimum of 100 dwelling units per acre. The City has previously identified a goal for the Plan to support 4,500 dwelling units along with neighborhood serving retail and amenities. The Specific Plan area is approximately 45 acres in area, with 7 of those acres dedicated to road network and an additional 10 acres planned for useable open space, leaving approximately 28 acres of land available for development and suggesting an average density of 160 dwelling units per acre (DU/AC) in order to achieve 4,500 units.
As a part of the planning process, the staff is considering a recommendation to creating a new General Plan land use designation, Transit Residential, which would allow residential densities from 85-350 dwelling units per acre (DU/AC), along with supportive commercial uses. This General Plan designation could be applied to similar Future Focus Areas.
The Specific Plan Land Use diagram also identifies potential locations for park space, greenways, a mixed-use “main street”, and other public amenities. The main street, at the center of the Specific Plan area, will be a focal point for the new neighborhood. A new Zoning District would be established with the Specific Plan to facilitate development of the Specific Plan area consistent with its vision.
Affordable Housing
Staff is working with Specific Plan area stakeholders to develop an affordable housing strategy for the Specific Plan area. The City’s recently adopted Affordable Housing Ordinance includes a pipeline provision so that residential project applications submitted to the City prior to August 1 of this year are not subject to the new 15% inclusionary requirement provided they complete the entitlement process prior to December 1, 2020. For the Specific Plan area, staff is proposing that the City establish provisions based on two phase for affordability housing as follows:
- Phase 1: All residential projects with applications filed prior to August 1, 2019, will be subject to a 10% inclusionary requirement (at an average 100% Area Median Income affordability level), provided that the planning entitlement is complete prior to December 1, 2021.
- Phase 2: All residential projects with applications filed after August 1, 2019, will be subject to a 15% inclusionary requirement (at an average 100% Area Median Income affordability level).
Additionally, as an incentive for higher density development consistent with the City’s goal for 4,500 units (and anticipated to require more expensive Type 1 construction) projects with a density of 120 DU/AC or greater will have a reduced affordability requirement for the additional units. Units developed at a density of 120 DU/AC and up to 140 DU/AC will have an inclusionary requirement of 8% for phase 1 or 12% for phase 2. Units developed at a density greater than 140 DU will have an inclusionary requirement of 6% for phase 1 or 10% for phase 2.
Park Spaces and Greenways
Consistent with City Council input from February 6, 2018 study session, the Specific Plan establishes an ambitious Park Space and Greenways plan to provide 10 acres of open space area. These open spaces are distributed over smaller districts identified within the Specific Plan, with the open space areas in each district anchored by a publicly dedicated park. These parks will be connected to each other and to the Guadalupe River trail by a series of greenways, as shown in the Land Use Diagram, Figure 1.
The combination of publicly dedicated parkland, publicly accessible greenways and open spaces, and private amenity spaces (given half credit per the parkland dedication ordinance) will account for the ten acres of outdoor amenity space under the plan.
Amenities
Proving public amenities will be an important part of the Specific Plan placemaking strategy. The Specific Plan requires the development of a new publicly accessible community room and a programmed multifunctional space that could flexibly provide library services in the form of a docking station for a book mobile. These uses will be located in proximity to the main street, so that they help to activate the street, along with retail uses, as the social center of the new neighborhood. The Specific Plan also accommodates the potential development of a new, urban-scale school, on a 1-2 acre site in proximity to the main street and adjoining open space areas.
One possible way to implement these amenities is through the creation of a Community Facilities District (CFD), which would create a special assessment district to collect additional funds for these additional services. The City is currently working on a CFD for the Lawrence Station plan area, a recently adopted specific plan, to fund similar amenities and with Plan area stakeholders is evaluating the possibility of a similar mechanism for Tasman East.
Roadways and Access
As noted above, a key feature of the Specific Plan will be a new main street along the existing Calle del Sol alignment, which includes an extension of the street north to connect to Calle el Mundo. The Specific Plan also incorporates the extension of Lick Mill Boulevard through the Specific Plan area from Tasman Drive northward to the future CityPlace industrial park. In providing these new roadways, the Plan seeks to balance vehicular circulation needs with placemaking goals, providing a variety of street types that can accommodate regional and local vehicular traffic, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Development of the Calle del Sol extension is contingent on obtaining the land needed for the proposed right-of-way, and on solving a number of infrastructure challenges, including relocation of the Primavera lift station, a major piece of sewer infrastructure, and the re-location of a cellular antenna.
The Specific Plan land uses will leverage adjacency to the Lick Mill Light Rail Station, utilizing a robust Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan to minimize vehicular trips. As the Specific Plan is implemented new projects will incorporate measures responsive to the evolving nature of transportation, including commuter behavior, availability of first and last mile connections to transit, and other advancements such as ride hailing and ride sharing technology.
Next steps
The Draft EIR for the Tasman East Specific Plan is scheduled to be released on June 27, 2018. The EIR will include an analysis of traffic, biological resources, utilities, and several other topic areas. Notably, the EIR will include an analysis of the roadway capacity necessary on Calle del Sol to move traffic between Tasman Drive and Lafayette Street. Comments on the Draft EIR will be accepted until August 10, 2018.
The Specific Plan and associated EIR will be brought to the Planning Commission for recommendation and to the City Council for adoption in October and November 2018.]
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(b)(4) in that it is an informational report that does not involve any commitment to any specific project which may result in a potential significant impact on the environment.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the 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.
Several community meetings have been conducted for the Specific Plan, the most recent of which was on June 7, 2018.Approximately fifteen members of the public were in attendance. Comments that the public made included:
-Ensure public access to trails
-Interest in public programming and entertainment in the park spaces
-Interest in bike share
-Need for community amenities (community center and family amenities)
-A desire to have all the upcoming projects in the north side of Santa Clara work together to provide complementary amenities
In addition, some property owner representatives in the plan area expressed concerns about the proposed roadways and the impact of implementing those roadways on the future ability to develop their properties.
Staff
Reviewed by: Andrew Crabtree, Director, Community Development Director
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Tasman East Specific Plan Area Draft Land Use Diagram