The Project
Purpose & Process
The General Plan Update offers the City of Santa Clara an exciting opportunity to reflect on its history and accomplishments, build on this foundation and set the course for the future. The development of the General Plan is a collaborative effort between the City and the community to create a shared vision and outline policies that will guide development through 2035. Community input will help guide the planning process. Residents will be able to get involved in all stages: from initial visioning and exploration of plan alternatives, to the selection of a preferred plan and a review of the accompanying Environmental Impact Report (EIR). What kind of Santa Clara do you envision for our future and for our children?
Building on Existing Assets
The City of Santa Clara is one of the oldest communities in the Bay Area. Founded in 1777 (and incorporated in 1852), the City is the site of one of California’s historic missions, and home to Santa Clara University—the oldest operating institution of higher learning in California. The City has undergone great changes since its last comprehensive General Plan was prepared in 1992. Market conditions and the larger metropolitan context surrounding the City have fluctuated over the past fifteen years; however, Santa Clara’s economy has been resilient. The City’s many assets have continued to attract residents and businesses and set the foundation for an even stronger future. The City boasts a wide variety of housing options in established neighborhoods, along with retail shopping, an award-winning convention center, multiple recreation facilities, excellent schools, and a strong transportation system. Its idyllic Bay Area weather, coupled with an extensive network of parks and trails, also make the City of Santa Clara an attractive place to live and visit year-round, aiding the City’s consistent growth. In 2007, the City was home to over 114,000 residents, making it the third most populous city in Santa Clara County.
Key Issues
Many of the objectives of the City of Santa Clara’s existing General Plan have been met and many new opportunities and challenges have emerged. As the City is surrounded by other incorporated communities, physical expansion is no longer a possibility. New development will need to fit within the existing community fabric. Santa Clara’s evolution into a “built-out” City is an appropriate reason to take a fresh look at the vision the City and it is a chance for residents, businesses and visitors to define its future.
Much of the City, especially our residential neighborhoods, will not undergo land use changes in the new General Plan. However, in order to accommodate our share of the regional population, additional housing will need to be built in our community, in a way that is sensitive to established neighborhoods, respects historical resources, and supports transit use. As the City looks toward a future of infill growth, new development provides opportunities to enhance existing communities, creating more walkable places and new neighborhood-scale commercial destinations. The General Plan Update will also address new planning efforts now underway, such as the Downtown, near Lafayette and Homestead, and Santa Clara Station Area, at El Camino Real and Benton.
To ensure the preservation of the City’s existing assets and natural resources, the General Plan will incorporate additional elements, over and above the State’s requirements, that address sustainability, historic preservation and community design.