TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: John Ristow
SUBJECT: Connect North San José
Multimodal Transportation
Improvement Plan
DATE: March 30, 2026
Approved
Date:
4/7/26
COUNCIL DISTRICTS: 3, 4, 6
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution approving the Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
With adoption, the City of San José will have a comprehensive, community-based, multimodal transportation plan for North San José. Implementing this plan will create a resilient transportation system in the city’s major regional job center, improving mobility and safety, reducing reliance on driving, supporting job and housing growth, and advancing the ambitious goals of the General Plan and Climate Smart plan.
BACKGROUND
North San José has evolved from its agricultural past into a center for industrial, manufacturing, and office growth and, more recently, pockets of residential expansion.
The area includes major employment destinations and office campuses, but its land use patterns, large blocks, single-use areas, wide setbacks, and an overabundance of parking have resulted in a transportation system designed primarily for driving. A project area map is included as Attachment A to this memorandum.
These development patterns, along with the presence of major physical barriers such as US-101, Interstate 880, State Route 237, expressways, creeks, and rail corridors, limit connectivity across the area and make it difficult to travel safely and directly by walking, COUNCIL AGENDA: 4/21/26
FILE: 26-434
ITEM: 5.1
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2026
Subject: Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan
biking, and transit. Community members have repeatedly identified these conditions as obstacles to daily life and neighborhood connection.
North San José is also growing quickly, with eight development projects planned in the area to date. The Envision San José General Plan 2040 identifies opportunities for development of up to 32,000 new residential units and 26.7 million square feet of industrial space in North San José. This growth is projected to bring in 64,000 new residents, 91,000 new workers, and many more visitors in 2040. Accommodating this growth while making North San José a more attractive place to be will require carefully coordinating public and private investments to create great places, while also providing better, more convenient, and more sustainable ways to get around.
In 2022, the City Council adopted Move San José, establishing citywide transportation goals and performance indicators for safety, access, sustainability, and mobility. The Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan (Connect North San José) applies the Move San José vision at the neighborhood scale and translates long-range goals into implementable, corridor-specific projects and programs.
ANALYSIS
1. Plan Purpose and Planning Process
Connect North San José was developed through a structured planning process that combined technical analysis with community engagement. The project team conducted an existing conditions assessment, including safety data review, travel pattern analysis, network connectivity evaluation, and identification of physical barriers such as freeways, rail corridors, and large block patterns that limit multimodal access.
The team then developed projects and strategies based on this analysis and evaluated for safety benefits, multimodal access, feasibility, cost considerations, and consistency with Move San José performance goals. The process also incorporated feedback from residents, workers, businesses, and community-based organizations to ensure that recommended improvements address lived transportation challenges and advance equitable access, particularly in communities with a significant concentration of underserved populations, such as households with low incomes and people of color.
The resulting recommendations reflect a data-informed and community-informed framework for improving safety, mobility, and connectivity in North San José.
2. Recommended Improvements
Connect North San José identifies a comprehensive multimodal project portfolio designed to accommodate future growth while improving safety, connectivity, and travel
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2026
Subject: Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan
options across North San José. The full plan is included as Attachment B to this memorandum.
Connect North San José recommends 20 near- to mid-term transportation projects positioned to advance to design, environmental review, and funding phases and seven “Big Moves” that will require deeper partnerships, feasibility analyses, and long-range planning. The plan also recommends 10 programs and policy initiatives to improve safe, reliable, and affordable access to transportation options. Of these investments, six are identified as high priority for their potential to deliver the greatest impact on equity, mode shift, and planning for future growth. The six priority projects are:
1) North First Street Transit-Priority Improvements;
2) Slow Streets and Paseo Network;
3) Charcot Avenue Bike-Priority Improvements;
4) Montague Expressway / First Street Grade Separation; 5) I-880 / Charcot Avenue Multimodal Overcrossing; and
6) Zanker Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Connection.
These projects create a coordinated transportation network in which most streets serve all users, but certain corridors are prioritized for transit, bicycle, pedestrian, freight, or vehicle travel where tradeoffs are necessary. Together, these projects and programs aim to improve access to jobs, housing, schools, parks, and transit while positioning North San José to support long-term growth.
3. Implementation and Regional Connectivity Focus
Implementation of the plan will occur through a combination of City-led capital delivery, coordination with partner agencies such as the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Caltrans, use of existing citywide programs (e.g., Vision Zero, Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades, and repaving), grant funding, and developer-led improvements through the development review process.
North San José is constrained by both internal and regional barriers, including the light rail corridor that runs north–south through the center of the area and surrounding highways such as US-101, Interstate 880, and State Route 237. Together, these facilities limit safe and direct multimodal connections within the area and to adjacent neighborhoods. Connect North San José prioritizes new and enhanced crossings, grade separations, and coordinated corridor improvements to strengthen connectivity across these barriers.
4. Why City Council Adoption as a Guiding Document Matters
Adoption of Connect North San José as a guiding document:
1) Formalizes the community-based transportation vision for North San José;
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2026
Subject: Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan
2) Establishes a consistent basis for project prioritization and funding applications; 3) Strengthens coordination across City departments and partner agencies; and 4) Supports future implementation actions, including conceptual design and corridor studies.
Racial Equity Impact Analysis
Connect North San José incorporates racial equity considerations through the planning process and the recommended transportation investments. North San José includes Equity Priority Communities identified by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission as having higher concentrations of low-income households, people of color, and residents with limited English proficiency. Residents in these areas experience greater exposure to air pollution, higher traffic safety risks, and increased transportation cost burdens. Households in Equity Priority Communities spend nearly twice the share of household income on transportation compared with other parts of the plan area.
Recommendations in Connect North San José are intended to reduce these disparities by improving access to safe, affordable, and reliable transportation options. The planning process included extensive outreach designed to elevate historically underrepresented voices, including engagement with community-based organizations, residents, workers, and businesses. Feedback from these efforts directly shaped the recommended investments.
Key equity outcomes of adopting Connect North San José include:
1) Improved access to jobs, schools, parks, groceries, and transit through new pedestrian, bicycle, and transit connections;
2) Safer travel conditions on corridors with documented safety concerns and community-identified needs;
3) Reduced transportation cost burden by expanding reliable walking, biking, and transit options;
4) Increased accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities through improved crossings, sidewalks, and transit stop amenities; and
5) Prioritization of investments that benefit Equity Priority Communities and improve transportation safety and access.
Adoption of the plan will help guide future transportation investments in a way that advances equitable access, reduces transportation burdens, and supports inclusive economic opportunity in North San José.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2026
Subject: Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan
Climate Smart San José Analysis
Adoption of Connect North San José directly supports the goals of Climate Smart San José and the City’s Pathway to Carbon Neutrality by 2030. Transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in San José.
Connect North San José supports Climate Smart San José by:
1) Reducing vehicle miles traveled through investments in transit-priority corridors, protected bicycle infrastructure, pedestrian improvements, and transportation demand management programs;
2) Expanding mobility options beyond single-occupancy vehicles through transit improvements, micromobility expansion, and shared mobility programs; 3) Supporting compact, walkable development patterns that improve access to daily needs and reduce the need to drive;
4) Improving transit speed and reliability to make transit a more competitive and attractive travel option; and
5) Encouraging mode shift that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and improves air quality.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
Following City Council approval, the Department of Transportation will use Connect North San José to guide implementation actions, including:
1) Initiating conceptual planning and design for priority corridors; 2) Coordinating with partner agencies (Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrans, County Expressways) on implementation pathways; 3) Pursuing grants and other funding sources for near-, mid-, and long-term projects; and
4) Reporting progress through standard City project planning and delivery processes, and as needed through future informational memoranda or City Council updates.
COORDINATION
This memorandum was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, City Manager’s Budget Office, City Manager’s Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, and the Departments of Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services, Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement, and Public Works.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2026
Subject: Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City Council Agenda website for the April 21, 2026 City Council meeting.
Extensive outreach was conducted throughout the development of Connect North San José. The engagement process included three phases of outreach designed to reach residents, workers, businesses, community-based organizations, and agency partners.
The project team engaged more than 720 participants through 48 outreach events and two online surveys. Engagement activities included pop-ups, workshops, listening sessions, stakeholder interviews, business outreach, and meetings with community- based organizations.
Key partners included Prosperity Labs, LEAD Filipino, San José Bike Party, Art Builds Community, and the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition. Outreach prioritized inclusive engagement and sought to elevate perspectives from historically underserved communities.
The City also coordinated closely with public agency partners throughout the planning process, including Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrans, Santa Clara County Roads and Airports Department, and members of the Connect North San José Technical Advisory Committee.
Community input directly shaped the transportation vision, goals, and recommended projects and programs included in Connect North San José.
BOARD, COMMISSION, COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
Connect North San José was presented to the Transportation and Environment Committee in February 2025. The Committee provided feedback and input that helped inform the plan.
CEQA
Statutorily Exempt, File No. PP17-001, CEQA Guidelines, Section 15262, Feasibility and Planning Studies with no commitment to future actions.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
March 30, 2026
Subject: Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy as defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution.
/s/
John Ristow
Director, Department of Transportation
For questions, please contact Ramses Madou, Division Manager, Department of Transportation, at [email protected] or 408-975-3283.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment A – Project Area Map
Attachment B – Connect North San José Multimodal Transportation Improvement Plan