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 a Specific Plan for the corridor 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. 

Previous Process (2017-2022)

The Specific Plan planning process kicked-off with the formation of the El Camino Real Community Advisory Committee (ECR CAC) in January 2018. Following a two plus-year community engagement process, the City completed a Specific Plan to implement the City’s General Plan goals and policies for the El Camino Real corridor, which was presented to the City Council for adoption at their June 15, 2021 meeting. The Council reviewed the adoption draft El Camino Real Specific Plan and directed staff to significantly modify the three proposed Specific Plan General Plan Land Use Designations so that the maximum heights for the three designations would be two, three, and four stories, respectively, and to modify the allowed densities to correspond to these heights.

Subsequently, on October 19, 2021, the City Council took two actions on the El Camino Real Specific Plan; one action passed regarding direction on the revision of land use options, and the second action for a budget amendment request for the directed revisions did not pass. Then, as part of the FY 2022/2023 budget process, the City Council approved funding for $1,000,000 to be included in the FY2022/2023 budget for the work directed by the City Council on the El Camino Real Specific Plan.

Revision Process (2023)

In March 2023, the City Council approved the agreement with Raimi & Associates, Inc. for services to revise the El Camino Real Specific Plan as previously directed. For this effort, staff will work with the City’s consultant to develop an updated land use plan that addresses objectives expressed by the City Council, including:

• Minimization of potential impacts upon adjacent single-family residences, and in particular shading of properties immediately to the north of the Specific Plan area;
• Alignment with a reduced density of 4,400 residential units; and
• Retention of the proposed “activity centers”

Following the update to the land use plan there will be additional community engagement, including meeting with the ECR CAC, updating of policies and development standards consistent with the new land use plan, and updated environmental analysis.

Public Hearings

City Council Direction: On August 29, 2023, the City Council provided direction on the updated draft Land Use Plan.

Agenda
Staff Report and Attachments

Specific Plan Revision Timeline

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 Manager, Lesley Xavier at lxavier@santaclaraca.gov.