REPORT TO SENIOR ADVISORY COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Informational Presentation on the El Camino Real Specific Plan
Report
BACKGROUND
The Community Development Department is conducting a public process to develop the El Camino Real Specific Plan. The El Camino Real corridor is the City’s most visible and identifiable commercial corridor in Santa Clara. Redevelopment of the existing low-intensity, auto-oriented commercial uses along the corridor into higher density, residential/commercial mixed use is identified as a key land use strategy in the City’s 2010 General Plan.
While the General Plan established the El Camino Real as a Focus Area for new residential growth, specified land uses and densities for new development, and provided some policy guidance, it also identified the preparation of a Specific Plan as an implementation tool for the Focus Area. The City Council initiated preparation of a Specific Plan for the El Camino Real Focus Area in 2017 to provide a more detailed level of policy and design guidance to support the successful transformation of the corridor.
A collaborative and broad-based community involvement process has been implemented to engage community members in the planning of the corridor’s future. The City has been working with a consultant, Raimi and Associates, to ensure that community residents and stakeholders have many opportunities to participate in decision making and inform the contents of the El Camino Real (ECR) Specific Plan throughout the Specific Plan process.
DISCUSSION
The Commission will have a presentation on the Specific Plan by the Community Development Department and have an opportunity to ask questions and make comment on the Specific Plan and key objectives given below. The objectives for preparation of the Specific Plan are to establish a land use plan, a circulation plan, urban design standards, and a policy framework that will guide future development and provide developers and the community with clear direction regarding form, massing, density and streetscape for new development.
The key objectives for redevelopment within the ECR Specific Plan would be guided by the following land use and transportation strategies.
Land Use
The Plan will establish a land use plan and policy framework that will guide future development and redevelopment activities within the area toward multi-modal supportive uses and improvements, including; an increase in housing density to help meet the City’s state-mandated RHNA numbers; new development that appropriately transitions to existing adjacent residential neighborhoods, and more intensive development and public improvements focused at key nodes, which will include a concentration of retail, services, housing, and new public gathering areas. A map of the proposed land use plan is attached to this report.
As required under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) would analyze the maximum potential new development through build-out of the draft Land Use Plan, and account for development applications (General Plan and Zoning amendments), in order to identify the full potential of environmental impacts that could occur with contemplated development. Accordingly, the EIR would analyze the following growth capacity for the Plan area. It is important to note that is the maximum capacity, and that after the EIR is completed the City Council could select a different project as long as it does not exceed the maximum capacity.
Table: Development Capacity for El Camino Real
|
|
Residential Units |
Commercial Square Feet |
|
Draft Land Use Plan Capacity* |
6,677 |
425,229 |
|
Pending Development Applications |
327 |
32,306 |
|
Total |
7,004 |
457,535 |
|
* The General Plan currently identifies capacity to build 2,274 units within the El Camino Real Focus Area, of which 1,142 units have been approved and/or built. A maximum of 4,403 units would be added through the draft Land Use Plan. |
Transportation
The ECR Specific Plan will improve vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle facilities along the El Camino Real corridor by establishing a mobility framework that balances El Camino Real’s many functions while improving mobility and safety for people of all ages, means, and abilities. The Plan Area’s circulation network consists of the roadways and sidewalks that serve vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit vehicles, as well as off-street shared-use paths and pedestrian-only connections. An alternative selected to be studied for the Plan includes the removal of on-street parking to accommodate a buffered bicycle lane with a bus boarding island. This alternative would retain the same number of travel lanes for vehicle. A Right-of-Way alternative diagram is attached to this report for your reference.
The ECR Specific Plan is being drafted and the EIR is undergoing technical analysis. The public draft of the Plan and EIR will be posted on the project webpage for review in the coming months. Planning Commission and City Council hearing are expected to consider the Plan in late Summer or early Fall.
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)(5) in that it is a governmental organizational or administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.
COORDINATION
This report has been coordinated with the Community Development Department.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Senior Advisory Commission’s 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.
Staff
Reviewed by: Jennifer Herb, Recreation Supervisor
Approved by: James Teixeira, Director Parks & Recreation Department
ATTACHMENTS
1. ECR Specific Plan Draft Land Use Map
2. Draft Right-of-Way Alternative for ECR Specific Plan