12/16/25 Item #7
City Council
December 16, 2025
Item #7 RTC 25-1645
Open Space Element
1852 General Plan Amendment
THE MISSION CIT
Afshan Hamid
Director of Community Development
Open Space Element GPA City of
Santa Clara
The Center of What's Possible
Requirements of SB 1425
By 2026, state law (SB 1425) requires jurisdictions to:
• Include policies in their General Plan addressing climate resilience and other co-benefits of Open Space
Requires jurisdictions to address the issue of access to open space for everyone; and to
• Preserve, enhance, and expand a network of open spaces 2 POST MEETING MATERIAL
1 12/16/25 Item #7
Open Space Element GPA City of
Santa Clara
The Center of Whaty Pessible
New & Updated Goals & Policies
Goals
5.9.1-G2 Parks, trails and open space that are accessible to everyone by being In response to SB 1425, staff is located within a ten _minute walk to residential neighborhoods and employment centers.
proposing minor text language
5.9.1-G4 A comprehensive network of park, trail and open space facilities that in the Open Space Element: are accessible to everyone and provide connections to destination points and activity centers within the City.
• Open space access and the
Policies
5.9.1-P3 Provide a network of trails along creeks and other rights _of_ way to creation of a linked network link parks, open spaces, bicycle facilities and transit services with residential neighborhoods and employment centers.
of open spaces to strengthen
5.9.1-P6 Support construction of a network of trails within the City of Santa Clara the policies; and that connect to the Bay Trail, the Saratoga/San Tomas Aquino Creek and the Guadalupe River trails.
• Resilience policies from the 5 9 1-P22 Carbon farming on open space lands Partner with resource conservation districts to increase carbon farming, creek restoration, City's adopted Climate Action wolland restoration, and local offset opportunities in open space lands within the city limits of Santa Clara.
Plan (2022).
5.9.1-P23 Sustainabie slanting guide. Support local organizations in developing a planting quide that priontizes increasing available soil carbon sequestration, resilience, and other equitably distnbuted co-benefits. 3 Open Space Element GPA City of
Santa Clara
City Efforts Underway:
(consistent with General Plan)
• Creek Trail Network Expansion Master Plan
• Parks and Recreation Master Plan
• Language from the 2022 Climate Action Plan also
included
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2 12/16/25 Item #7
Open Space Element GPA
Figure 5.9-1 Proposed
Parks, Recreation and
Parks, THRE
Open Space (2035) =
Recreation
Future Open Space'
and Open
Existing Parks, Recreation and Open Space
Community Park Space
Neighborhood Park
Mini Park/Plaza Diagram
Open Space
General Plan
Recreation Facility
Regional and/or Private Facilities Figure 5.9-1
Prefered Location for New Community Park
• Rail & Light Rail
Stations
City Limits
Creek City of
Trail Santa Clara
==== Proposed fratli
•===Proposed Trail (2025)
5 Open Space Element GPA City of
Santa Clara
The Certer of What's Possibfe
Recommendation
Recommend that the City Council:
1. Find that the Addendum to the 2010-2035 General Plan Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the project complies with CEQA, and that the adoption of the Open Space Element Update would not result in environmental impacts beyond those described in the General Plan EIR and no further analysis is required.
2. Adopt the General Plan Text Amendment and find that it satisfies the SB 1425 equirements to update open space programs to include policies addressing limate resilience and other cobenefits of Open Space: and that the necessary tex edits are consistent with the Parks, Open Space, and Recreation Goals and Policies in the General Plan. 6
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12/16/25 Item #7
City Council
December 16, 2025
CIT Item #7 RTC 25-1645
Open Space Element
1852 General Plan Amendment
THE MISSION CIN
Afshan Hamid
Director of Community Development
7