YI M BY La w
877 Cedar Street # 1 50
Santa Cru z, CA 9 50 6 0
[email protected]
1 10/30/2024
Steve Le
Senior Planner
City of Santa Clara
[email protected]
Via Email
Re: 4590 Patrick Henry Dr. Santa Clara, CA 95054
Dear Department of Planning,
YIMBY Law is a 501(c)3 non- profit corporation, whose mission is to increase the accessibility and affordability of housing in California. YIMBY Law sues municipalities when they fail to comply with state housing laws, including the Housing Accountability A ct (HAA). As you know, the City Council has an obligation to abide by all relevant state housing laws when evaluating the above captioned proposal, including the HAA. Should the City fail to follow the law, YIMBY Law will not hesitate to file suit to ensure that the law is enforced.
The proposal is for 284 rental homes in the new Patrick Henry Drive Specific Plan approved by City of Santa Clara in 2022. The project is consistent with the Specific Plan and zoning at 127 dwelling units per acre. The proposal also includes 42 affordabl e units; 14 moderates, 14 low, and 14 very low income units.
California Government Code § 65589.5, the Housing Accountability Act, prohibits localities from denying housing development projects that are compliant with the locality’s zoning ordinance or general plan at the time the application was deemed complete, un less the locality can make findings that the proposed housing development would be a threat to public health and safety.
The above captioned proposal is zoning compliant and general plan compliant, therefore, your local agency must approve the application, or else make findings to the effect that the proposed project would have an adverse impact on public health and safety, as described above. Should the City fail to comply with the law, YIMBY Law will not hesitate to take legal action to ensure YIMBY Law, 57 Post Street, Suite 908, San Francisco, CA 94104 2 that the law is enforced.
I am signing this letter both in my capacity as the Executive Director of YIMBY Law, and as a resident of California who is affected by the shortage of housing in our state.
Sincerely,
Sonja Trauss
Executive Director
YIMBY Law
October7,2024
RE:Endorsementof4590PatrickHenryDrive
ToWhomItMayConcern:
Forover60years,GreenbeltAlliancehashelpedcreatecitiesandneighborhoodsthatmake theBayAreaabetterplacetolive—healthyplaceswherepeoplecanwalkandbike; communitieswithparks,shops,transportationoptions;homesthatareaffordableandresilienttothe impactsofclimatechange.GreenbeltAlliance’sClimateSMART—Sustainable,Mixed,Affordable, Resilient,Transit-Oriented—DevelopmentEndorsementProgramprovidessupportforprojectsthat advancetherightkindofdevelopmentintherightplaces.Bypromotingclimate-smartdevelopmentwe cancreatethriving,resilientneighborhoodswithreadyaccesstotransitandhousingchoicesforallofthe BayArea’speople.
Aftercarefulreview,GreenbeltAllianceispleasedtoendorsetheproposed4590PatrickHenryDrive project.
MorehousingiscriticallyneededinSantaClara,andthe284units,42ofthemdeeplyaffordable, providedby4590PatrickHenryDriveaspartoftheEastTasmanPlanrepresentasignificantstep intherightdirection.Further,notonlywilltheprojectaddresstheurgentneedformorehousing, butitalsocontributessignificantlytotherevitalizationofthearea.
Weareparticularlyimpressedbytheproject’scommitmenttosustainabilityandcommunity amenities.Theinclusionofapublicparkwillprovidemuch-neededgreenspaceforresidentsand visitors,fosteringasenseofcommunityandimprovingoverallwell-being.Theproject’sprovision ofmorethan300bicycleparkingspacesandtheconstructionofanewprotectedbikelanealong thefrontageroadwillpromoteactivetransportation,makingiteasierandsaferforresidentsto choosebikingoverdriving.Thesefeaturesnotonlysupportahealthylifestylebutalsocontribute toreducingthecity’scarbonfootprint.
Theproject's100%electricdesignisanothersignificanthighlight.Byeliminatingrelianceonfossil fuelsforenergy,thedevelopmentwillhelpmitigateclimatechangeandsetaprecedentforfuture projects.Thisall-electricapproachisinlinewiththegrowingmovementtowardsrenewable energyandreflectsaforward-thinkingapproachtourbandevelopment.
TransitAccessforSustainableDevelopment
InadditiontoaddinggreatlyneededaffordablehousingtoSantaClaraCounty,4590Patrick HenryDrivewillalignwithGreenbeltAlliance’sclimateSMART—Sustainable,Mixed,Affordable, Resilient,Transit-Oriented—developmentcriteriainseveralways.Itsstrategiclocation,lessthan halfamilefromtheVTAlightrailandwithinhalfamileoffiveVTAbuslines,ensuresexcellent connectivityandencouragestheuseofpublictransportation.Thisproximitytotransitoptionswill helpreducecardependency,therebyloweringgreenhousegasemissionsandtrafficcongestion.
AccordingtoGreenTRIP—afreeonlinetoolcreatedbyTransformthatmodelstrafficand greenhousegasimpactsofresidentialprojectsinCalifornia—the4590PatrickHenryDrive developmentwillresultin:
●1,963fewermilesdriveneverydaycomparedtotheSantaClaraCountyaverage. ●21%fewerGHGimpactseverydaycomparedtotheSantaClaraCountyaverage. ●5%lessparkinguseeverydaycomparedtotheSantaClaraCountyaverage. ●Parkingwhencomparedtoexistingcityrequirements:
○Saving$15,040,000inparkingconstructioncostifbuiltwith0.34insteadofthe municipalrequirements.
○Saving5,112sq.ft.infewerparkingspaces
GreenbeltAlliancebelieves4590PatrickHenryDrivewillplayapivotalroleinreimagininga moreresilientandinclusiveSantaClaraforallresidentstoenjoy,andweareproudtogivethis projectourendorsement!WehopeitsapprovalwillinspirecitiesaroundtheBayAreatoredouble theireffortstogrowinmoresustainableways.
Sincerely,
JordanGrimes
ResilienceManager
GreenbeltAlliance
November 13, 2024
SteveLe
CityPlanner
Cityof SantaClara
Email: [email protected]
Dear Mr. Le,
Onbehalf of theSantaClaraSchoolsFoundation(SCSF), I ampleasedtosupport theresidential development project by4590PatrickHenryLLCat 4590PatrickHenryDriveintheCity’snewSpecificPlanareainNorthSantaClara. Thisproject representsaninvestment inourcommunitythat alignswiththemissionof SCSF: tosupport SantaClaraUnifiedSchool District’sstudents, staff, andcommunitybyenhancingeducational opportunities, addressingresourcegaps, andencouraginglifelonglearning.
Wearegrateful for 4590PatrickHenryLLC’srecent $3,000gift toHughesElementarySchool’supcomingSpringWalk-a-thonevent. AsHughesElementaryiswithintheproject’sattendanceboundary, thiscontributionwill support theschool’shealth-focusedactivitiesandhelpfoster asenseof community.
Additionally, theinclusionof 42affordablehousingunitsoffersavital resourcefor district staffandstudentsenteringthelocal workforce. Providingaccessiblehousingoptionsfor educatorsandrecent graduatesstrengthenstheconnectionbetweenour district andthecommunity.
Weappreciateyour recognitionof theimportanceof projectslikethis, whichcreateopportunitiesfor botheducationandcommunitygrowth. Thankyoufor your continuedsupport inbuildingastrongfuturefor SantaClara.
Sincerely,
StevenJ. NeeseExecutiveDirectorSantaClaraSchoolsFoundation