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**UPDATE** on the Current Status of the El Camino Real Specific Plan as of December 13, 2021
The City Council has recently taken two actions on the El Camino Real Specific Plan. At their meeting on Oct. 19, 2021, one action passed regarding the revision of land use options and on November 9, 2021, a budget amendment request for the Council’s directed revisions to the El Camino Real Specific Plan was brought to the Council and did not pass.
As part of the budget process for the FY 2022/2023 budget cycle, the City will bring forth to the City Council for consideration a proposal for $1,000,000 to be included in the FY2022/2023 budget to fund the work directed by the City Council for the El Camino Real Specific Plan. As part of the normal budget cycle, affirmative votes of at least four members are required to approve funding of the work.
City Council Hearings
A City Council public hearing was held on July 6, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. for the City Council to provide direction on El Camino Real Specific Plan. The draft Specific Plan, including land uses, was presented for City Council adoption at the June 15, 2021 City Council meeting. At the conclusion of the City Council’s consideration of the item, the Council directed staff to modify the proposed Land Use Designations for the Specific Plan and return to Council. At the July 6, 2021 City Council meeting Council directed staff to return with a scope of work and budget amendment for the work requested at their June 15, 2021 meeting. The scope of work and budget was brought to the City Council at their public hearing on September 28, 2021 and was subsequently deferred to the October 19, 2021 City Council public hearing.
- July 6, 2021 City Council Agenda.
- September 28, 2021 City Council Agenda.
- October 19, 2021 City Council Agenda
- Draft Specific Plan
Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
Final EIR
In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15088, the following document includes written responses to comments received by the City of Santa Clara on the DEIR. The DEIR along with the response to comments equates the Final EIR.
Notice of Availability
The DEIR for the El Camino Real Specific Plan is available for review here. As authorized by the City of Santa Clara as a Lead Agency, the City will be preparing an EIR for the El Camino Real Specific Plan pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The public comment period on the DEIR is now closed. The comment period extended for 45 days, from Thursday, December 10, 2020 through Monday, January 25, 2021. Comments that were received on the DEIR during the comment period will be addressed and included in the Final EIR (FEIR).
Community Open House
The City of Santa Clara hosted a virtual open house to present the Draft El Camino Real Specific Plan to the community. The meeting was held via Zoom on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm. The following are the materials and video from the meeting.
You can also review and comment on key elements of the El Camino Real Specific Plan Public Draft, as presented at the Virtual Open House Workshop at this link. The content in this survey is identical to what was presented at the virtual Open House workshop and provides another opportunity to give public comment on key elements of the draft plan.
Public Draft of the El Camino Real Specific Plan
Following a two-year community engagement process, a full draft of the El Camino Real Specific Plan is now available for public review.
The City has been developing a Specific Plan to implement the City’s General Plan goals and policies for the El Camino Real corridor by providing more detailed guidance for future land uses and urban design elements.
The remaining tasks in the process include holding an open house to present the draft Plan to the community and receive feedback (currently on hold due to the County's mandatory order to cancel gatherings and the latest Public Health guidance for COVID-19), circulating the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for public comment, presenting the draft Plan to the Planning Commission for their recommendation and then finally to the City Council for adoption.
Background
The El Camino Real is the City’s most visible and identifiable commercial corridor. The City’s General Plan vision for El Camino Real is to transform the Focus Area from a series of automobile-oriented strip malls to a tree-lined, pedestrian and transit-oriented corridor with a mix of residential and retail uses.
The purpose of the development of the Specific Plan is to refine and implement the General Plan vision for the area by creating goals, policies, and design standards for future development within the Plan boundary. The Plan document will also address required specific plan topics such as land use, transportation, and infrastructure.
El Camino Real Specific Plan Boundary Map
The following is a graphic depicting the work flow and timeline of the El Camino Real Specific Plan planning process.
Public Hearings
Planning Commission Adoption Recommendation Hearing: The Planning Commission noticed a public hearing for April 28, 2021 for the Planning Commission to make a recommendation to the City Council on the adoption of the El Camino Real Specific Plan. This item was deferred from the April 28, 2021 hearing to a Special Hearing on May 10, 2021.
Planning Commission Study Session: On February 24, 2021, the Planning Commission held a study session on the draft El Camino Real Specific Plan.
Planning Commission Study Session: On June 12, 2019, the Planning Commission held a joint study session with the El Camino Real Community Advisory Committee (CAC) on the market feasibility of new development.
Planning Commission Study Session: On April 10, 2019, the Planning Commission held a study session on the draft preferred land use plan and El Camino Real Right-of-Way alternative.
City Council Study Session: On February 5, 2019, the City Council held a public study session on the draft preferred land use plan and El Camino Real Right-of-Way alternative.
City Council Study Session: On March 16, 2021, the City Council held a public study session on the draft Specific Plan.
- Staff Report
- Presentation Slides
Environmental Impact Report Scoping Meeting:
The City of Santa Clara Community Development Department hosted a Public Scoping Meeting for the El Camino Real Specific Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) analysis on Thursday, May 23, 2019. The purpose of the meeting was to describe the proposed project, the environmental review process, and to obtain the community’s input on the project and issues that they wish to see discussed in the EIR analysis. Materials and comment card can be downloaded below. If you have comments, please send them to Steve Le at sle@santaclaraca.gov.
- Notice of Preparation
- Scoping Meeting Presentation
- Scoping Meeting Comment Card
- Scoping Meeting Summary Notes
Community Engagement
The City has been working with chosen consultant, Raimi and Associates, to implement the community engagement strategy to ensure that citizens and stakeholders participate throughout the Specific Plan process. Outlined below are the engagement activities that have occurred since the start of the planning process. New and upcoming engagement activities will be posted at the top of this page as they are scheduled.
- Pop Up Events
- Community Workshops
- Online Surveys
- El Camino Real Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
- Santa Clara University El Camino Real Senior Capstone Project
Details, including meeting materials and meeting summaries can be found at Community Engagement.
Contact Information
To be added to the El Camino Real Specific Plan e-mail list, or to make comments on the plan, please contact the planning department at planning@santaclaraca.gov or by phone at 408-615-2450.
Documents Library
El Camino Real Specific Plan RFP (October 2016)
El Camino Real Existing Conditions Report (March 2016)