RESOLUTION NO. _____
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA APPROVING THE DOWNTOWN PRECISE PLAN WHEREAS, the City of Santa Clara (the “City”) is contemplating the adoption of the Downtown Precise Plan (the “Project”), a plan to implement the community’s vision and objectives for a vibrant, pedestrian-oriented destination Downtown with a reestablished street grid; WHEREAS, the Downtown Precise Plan is a long-range planning document that provides detailed guidance for future land uses, urban design elements, and right-of-way design concepts; WHEREAS, the Precise Plan represents the implementation of the General Plan’s goals and policies for the Downtown Focus Area; WHEREAS, the Precise Plan is located on approximately 25 acres of land located in Santa Clara’s historic Downtown bounded by Benton Street to the north, Lafayette Street to the east, Homestead Road to the south, and Madison Street to the west that are currently developed with commercial, office, and residential uses; WHEREAS, the development capacity of the Project is up to 1,071 residential units, 531,720 square feet of office space, 197,900 square feet of commercial/retail space, and 44,300 square feet of public space; WHEREAS, the framework for the Plan was developed with a focus on building form and height; WHEREAS, new development within the Plan area may be used for housing, offices, hotels, retail, civic or cultural uses, or a mix of these uses; WHEREAS, the allowable building heights, massing, and placement determine the ultimate development capacity for the Project; WHEREAS, as a part of implementation the Precise Plan, the City is also proposing to amend Title 18 (“Zoning”), of the City Code to create a new Downtown zoning district that implements the proposed Precise Plan, and to apply that zoning designation across the Project Site; WHEREAS, Santa Clara City Charter Section 1007 and Government Code sections 65353 and 65453 require that the Planning Commission provide input to the City Council on proposed long-range plans; and, WHEREAS, on October 25, 2023, the Planning Commission conducted a duly noticed public hearing to consider the Project, at the conclusion of which the Commission recommended that the City Council approve the proposed Precise Plan; and WHEREAS, notice of the public hearing on the proposed Precise Plan was published in the Santa Clara Weekly, a newspaper of general circulation for the City, on October 11, 2023; WHEREAS, notices of the public hearing on the proposed Precise Plan were mailed to all property owners within 1,000 feet of the Project Site, according to the most recent assessor’s roll, and to all local agencies expected to provide essential facilities or services to the project, on October 11, 2023; WHEREAS, before considering adoption of the Precise Plan, the City Council reviewed and considered the potential environmental impacts of the Project, including the implementing General Plan Amendment, Zoning Code Amendment, and identified mitigation measures, and adopted and certified the Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) for the Project (SCH #2022010282), as well as a set of CEQA Findings and a Statement of Overriding Considerations, in accordance with the requirements of CEQA; and WHEREAS, on December 5, 2023, the City Council reviewed the Precise Plan and conducted a public hearing, at which time all interested persons were given an opportunity to give testimony and provide evidence in support of and in opposition to the proposed Precise Plan.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA AS FOLLOWS:
1. That the City Council hereby finds that the above Recitals are true and correct and by this reference makes them a part hereof.
2. Precise Plan Findings. That the City Council finds and determines that the Precise Plan is in the interest of the public good for the following reasons:
A. The proposed Precise Plan is deemed to be in the public interest, in that:
The Precise Plan is located in an urbanized area served by existing municipal services and implements smart growth principles by redeveloping underutilized properties with higher intensity residential, commercial, or office uses, or a mix of those uses, that will contribute to the City both socially and economically.
B. The proposed Precise Plan is consistent and compatible with the General Plan and any implementation programs that may be affected, in that:
The Precise Plan furthers and is consistent with the goals, policies and major strategies of the General Plan that enhance the City’s quality of life, preserve and cultivate neighborhoods, promote sustainability, enhance City identity, support General Plan Focus Areas and community vitality, maintain the City’s fiscal health and quality of services, and maximize health and safety benefits with the modification of an existing new land use designation that allows for the development of a high-density mixed-use transit-oriented environment.
C. The proposed Precise Plan has been processed in accordance with the applicable provisions of the California Government Code and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), in that:
A Draft Environmental Impact Report (“DEIR”) was prepared in accordance with CEQA and the City circulated copies of the DEIR and Notice of Availability to the public agencies which have jurisdiction by law with respect to the Project, as well as to other interested persons, organizations and agencies, and the City sought the comments of such persons, organizations and agencies. The City prepared and circulated written responses to the comments received during the Comment Period and included those responses in a Final Environmental Impact Report (“FEIR”), in accordance with CEQA.
D. The potential impacts of the proposed amendment have been assessed and have been determined not to be detrimental to the public health, safety, or welfare, in that:
A Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP) has been prepared for implementation with development under the Precise Plan in order to reduce potentially significant impacts identified in the DEIR and FEIR, that combined constitute the EIR for the Project, to less than significant and a set of CEQA Findings and a Statement of Overriding Considerations for the significant unavoidable impacts that cannot be mitigated to less than significant has been prepared in accordance with CEQA; and the City Council adopted all of these documents.
3. That based on the findings set forth in this Resolution, the Approvals, and the evidence in the City Staff Report and such other evidence as received at the public hearing on this matter, the City Council hereby adopts the Precise Plan.
4. Effective date. This resolution shall become effective immediately.
I HEREBY CERTIFY THE FOREGOING TO BE A TRUE COPY OF A RESOLUTION PASSED AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA, AT A REGULAR MEETING THEREOF HELD ON THE 5TH DAY OF DECEMBER, 2023, BY THE FOLLOWING VOTE:
AYES: COUNCILORS:
NOES: COUNCILORS:
ABSENT: COUNCILORS:
ABSTAINED: COUNCILORS:
ATTEST: ______________________________
NORA PIMENTEL, MMC
ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
CITY OF SANTA CLARA
Attachments incorporated by reference: None
FILENAME \p S:\Attorney\RESOLUTIONS\Form Resolution-City.doc Resolution/Downtown Precise Plan Page PAGE 1 of 4
Rev: 7/27/2023
Ordinance/*Insert brief description Page PAGE 1 of *
Rev: 03-09-10; Typed: *Insert date