Two for-sale townhome developments could add to the city’s housing stock, chipping away at state housing mandates. At its latest meeting, Aug. 13, the planning commission voted unanimously to recommend that the Santa Clara City Council approve both projects. The bigger of the two projects, located at 1400 Coleman Ave., kitty-corner from the Costco, would … Read more
On Jan. 15, the Santa Clara Planning Commission finally took action on a proposal to increase cell phone service for AT&T customers along Benton Street near Santa Clara High School. This is the fourth time the issue has gone before the Planning Commission; it was delayed the three previous times. In 2020, AT&T submitted plans … Read more
With the zoning code updates approved in December, the Santa Clara Planning Commission was tasked on May 22 with approving zoning changes for individual parcels of land and making minor tweaks to the code’s language. It was supposed to be an easy fix without much debate, but it turned into a lot more. State law … Read more
After a bit of back and forth with the developer over the conditions for approval, the Santa Clara Planning Commission recommended that the City Council approve a plan to build 22 new homes on the site where St. Mark’s Church currently stands. St. Mark’s Church, located at 1957 Pruneridge Ave., closed in February 2022 and was … Read more
A light agenda for the Planning Commission to start 2024 cleared the way for a deeper discussion about the Commission’s goals and what it would like to relay to the City Council about the future of Santa Clara. The Planning Commission is set to have a joint session with the Council on Jan. 30. To … Read more
A request for approval of a tentative vesting map for the site at 5185 Lafayette Street led to a larger debate over government overreach and other issues at the Dec. 6 Planning Commission meeting. The 198-unit housing development was initially on the consent calendar but was pulled by members of the community. A local business … Read more
A portion of the Bay Area’s housing crisis played out in front of the Planning Commission on Aug. 23. What seemed like a routine request to add on to a Santa Clara home in the Old Quad neighborhood turned into a larger conversation about the high cost of housing and how local educators could possibly … Read more
The Santa Clara Planning Commission tackled the City’s housing element update during its Jan. 26 meeting and pushed it to the City Council for approval. Every eight years, the City must provide a revised housing element and submit it to the state’s Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) for approval. The housing element outlines … Read more
Santa Clara has a power problem. During the Oct. 26, 2022 Planning Commission meeting, Electric Utility Chief Operating Officer Kevin Kolnowski outlined a grim picture for Planning Commissioners. Kolnowski told commissioners power usage peaked at 704 megawatts (MW) on Sept. 6, 2022. That was 54 MW more than the peak reported to the City Council … Read more
During the Planning Commission meeting on Oct. 26, the Commission approved the tentative subdivision map for the Development Area Plan (DAP) for the Related development in Santa Clara at 5155 Stars and Stripes Drive. According to the City’s outside counsel for the Related development project, Anna Shimko, the approval of the tentative subdivision map means … Read more