Citywide Planning
Activities Status Report
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 27, 2025
Item (d)3
Presenters:
Martina Davis, Division Manager, Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Ruth Cueto, Principal Planner, Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Jerad Ferguson, Principal Planner Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Citywide Planning Overview
• General Plan/Analytics
• Housing/Housing Element
• Ordinance & Policy
• Urban Village & Station Area
Planning
• Special Projects
• 3 managers, 4 supervisors, 9
planners
• 16 active staff
2 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
Citywide Planning Work Plan
• Work required/committed through completion and adoption of the 7th Cycle Housing Element – Fiscal Year (FY) 2030-2031 • Current/Near Term:
• Implementation of the 6th Cycle Housing Element
• General Plan Major Review (Four-Year Review)
• FY 2025-2026 Budget Priorities
• Future:
• Open Space, Safety and Environmental Justice Elements (Tri-Element Update)
• 7th Cycle Housing Element Update
• FY 2026-2027 Budget Priorities
3 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
Workload by Fiscal Year
• 18,740 hours available per fiscal year based on current staffing - 1 vacancy & 1 on leave • 21,473 hours committed current Fiscal Year 2025-2026
• 24,080 hours committed Fiscal Year 2027-2028
4 General Plan Four-Year Review
• Accelerating work to successfully implement 6th Cycle Housing Element and prepare for 7th Cycle Housing Element
• Must increase residential capacity
• Limited scope includes evaluating the Urban Village Planning Process and Small Multifamily Housing strategy
• Requires significant staff time and funding
• The following shifts to the workplan were adopted through the budget to address funding:
• Pause Coyote Corridor Study until budgeted in future year • Combine Saratoga CEQA with Four-Year Review, which will delay adoption of Saratoga UV plan
• Delay Tri-Elements
5 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
General Plan Four-Year Review
Additional General Plan Four-Year items directed
through FY 2025-2026 budget:
1. Eliminating ground floor commercial requirements for housing developments that are not on a vibrant business corridor;
2. Expanding growth areas to where there is current market demand for housing and employment uses, except in areas with immitigable Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) impacts; and
3. Expanding Homeownership by Densifying Downtown
6 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
Transit Oriented Communities (TOC)
• Policy adopted by Metropolitan Planning Commission (MTC) • Compliance required to access discretionary transportation funding
• +/- $148 million from OBAG (One Bay Area Grant) funding cycles since 2012
• Requires minimum residential and commercial office densities for new development within ½ mile of 54 transit stations • $1.2 million planning grant application approved
• Required pausing Senate Bill (SB) 1333 rezonings
7 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
FY 2025-2026 Work Plan Highlights
8 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
• In Progress:
• Five Wounds Urban Village
(UV) – Complete April 2026
• Alum Rock East UV –
Complete June 2026
• Saratoga UV – Complete
27/28
• Transit Oriented Communities
Compliance – Complete
27/28
• Housing Element
Implementation
• SB 9 Expansion (HE - Housing
Element) & Zoning Maintenance
Update – December 2025
• Reasonable Accommodation
Zoning Update (HE) – Spring
2026
• Standard Permit Conditions &
Findings (HE) – Spring 2026
• North San José Overlays 2.0 (HE)
– Spring 2026
FY 2025-2026 Work Plan Highlights
www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
• Upcoming:
• Downtown Ministerial Ordinance – Fall 2026
• Digital Wayfinding Ordinance – Timeline (to be determined) based on determination of procurement process
• SB 79 Info Memo & Initial Analysis – January 2026
• SB 79 and other state law zoning update – Timeline and scope currently being developed
• Saratoga Ave Transportation Impact Fee Analysis – Spring 2026 9 FY 2026-2027 Tentative Work Plan
10 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
Continuing Items:
• Four-Year Review
• Saratoga UV
• Development Fee
Framework (HE)
New Items:
• Tri-Element Update
• City Council Policy 6-30 (Outreach)
update (HE)
• Eliminate Downtown Employment
Area Overlay
• Vape & Smoke Shop Zoning
Amendment
• Density Bonus Ordinance Expansion
(HE)
• Neighborhood Urban Villages
• Future Urban Village Work
www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
Workload by Fiscal Year
• 18,740 hours available per fiscal year based on current staffing - 1 vacancy & 1 on leave • 21,473 hours committed current Fiscal Year 2025-2026
• 24,080 hours committed Fiscal Year 2027-2028
11 Fully Staffed Capacity
Next Steps / Budget Process
• Assess workload for FY 2025-2026 and FY 2026-2027 in
context of upcoming budget process
• Provide an update to the Community and Economic
Development Committee in February 2026 in advance of
budget process
• Direction from Council through budget process on
prioritization and trade-offs for upcoming fiscal years 12 www.sanjoseca.gov/planning
Citywide Planning
Activities Status Report
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 27, 2025
Item (d)3
Presenters:
Martina Davis, Division Manager, Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Ruth Cueto, Principal Planner, Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Jerad Ferguson, Principal Planner Department of Planning, Building & Code Enforcement