INFORMATIONAL REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Informational Report to Council on the Status and Schedule of the El Camino Real Specific Plan [Council Pillar: Promote and Enhance Economic, Housing and Transportation Development]
Report
BACKGROUND
The City has been developing a Specific Plan to implement the City’s General Plan goals and policies for the El Camino Real corridor. The Specific Plan will provide detailed guidance for the development of future land uses including urban design elements to implement the City’s General Plan vision for the transformation of the corridor from low intensity, automobile-oriented uses to a more urban, mixed-use environment supporting a significant residential population. This vision was established in 2010 with the adoption of the current General Plan and several residential or mixed-use projects were subsequently developed along the corridor, but without a Specific Plan, they did not follow a cohesive set of design principles and the community was frustrated by their lack of input into the City’s policies for the corridor. The City Council directed staff to initiate the preparation of the Specific Plan with a focus on community engagement in order to address these concerns. Following a two-year community engagement process, a full draft of the Specific Plan is now available for viewing on the City’s El Camino Real website. With the release of the draft document <https://www.santaclaraca.gov/home/showdocument?id=68103> we are nearing the end of the planning process.
DISCUSSION
The draft Plan was posted from May 1, 2020 through June 25, 2020 on the City’s El Camino Real Specific Plan website with Open Townhall, an interactive comment platform. Through this platform the public was able to review and comment, and view comments made, on each chapter via annotation bubbles. The community was notified of the availability of the Plan via social media and email notification to those on our interested persons list, as well as e-notify.
The remaining tasks in the Specific Plan work program include presentations of the draft Plan at an El Camino Real Community Advisory Committee (ECRCAC) meeting and an a community open house, with mailed notifications pursuant to the City’s Community Outreach Policy for Planning Applications, and circulation of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public comment; as well as presentation of the draft Plan to the Planning Commission (PC) for their recommendation and to the City Council (CC) for adoption.
The following graphic depicts the schedule for completing the El Camino Real Specific Plan.
§ ECRCAC Zoom Meeting - September 17, 2020
§ Open House Webinar - September 30, 2020
§ Circulate EIR - Mid September 2020
§ PC and CC Hearings - December/Early 2021
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 administrative staff time and expense.
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>.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Note and file the report on the status of the El Camino Real Specific Plan.
Staff
Reviewed by: Andrew Crabtree, Director, Community Development Department
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager