A new Santa Clara park is providing a tiny oasis in the heart of the neighborhood near Levi’s Stadium.
The half-acre park is located in the Clara neighborhood, a 45-acre residential neighborhood near the stadium. The park opened in June, becoming the city’s 42nd park, which includes 229 improved acres and more than 80 acres of unimproved acres of parkland.
Part of the Tasman East Specific Plan, the park is the first of four planned in the area, Janine De la Vega, the city’s public information officer, wrote in an email.
“Designed to meet the city’s inclusive, age-friendly and sustainable park standards, the park ensures accessible routes and public right-of-way connections for ease of use and neighborhood integration,” De la Vega wrote.
The area is the site of two Related Companies residential developments. The first, The Clara apartments, is a 22-story, 508-unit apartment complex, located at 5150 Calle Del Sol. The second is Ellore, a 20-story, 176-unit luxury senior complex, located at 2350 Calle De Luna.
As part of the city’s parkland dedication requirement, Related constructed the park adjacent to the two residential towers and dedicated it to the city.
The park boasts uniquely designed climbing hills and the vibrant, colorful playground, including slides, hills and disk swings designed for play and imagination. Further, it has a small natural grass area, an enclosed off-leash dog area and playground equipment for children from ages two to 12. It also hosts benches, pathways, trees and landscaping.
New public parks are designed to meet the needs of the new residents in the immediate vicinity to reduce potential impacts on Santa Clara’s park system, according to the city.
Related Companies is responsible for maintaining the park into perpetuity.
The city conducted extensive public outreach to design the park. The item appeared on two parks and recreation commission agendas, one in November 2021 and another in January 2022. It also came to the council in March 2022. A community survey in 2021 had 152 responses.
The city is revamping the Tasman East Specific Plan to add an additional 1,500 housing units. The plan has 11 more projects in the pipeline, including another by Related, located at 2101 Tasman Drive. The city is exploring ways to incorporate more parkland as part of the amendment.
The Clara neighborhood park is open daily from 6 a.m. until a half-hour after sunset.
Contact David Alexander at d.todd.alexander@gmail.com
Related Posts:
Local Athletic Field To Get Facelift With 49ers’ Help
Ray Gamma: A Life Spanning Valley of the Heart’s Delight to Silicon Valley
0 comments