Update: with public comment overwhelmingly in favor, Santa Clara City Council voted to approve the senior housing / mixed use development on El Camino Real.Â In response to community requests for greater affordability, the developerÂ agreed to set 5 unitsÂ atÂ rent affordable to moderate income tenants.

In contrast to the feedback at previous meetings, where commenters objected to the size of the building, resulting in downsizing from five and four stories to four and three, a sizeable number of commenters at Tuesday’s Council meeting said that they had wished the building was taller in order to include more affordable units.

Santa Clara is working on a Precise Plan on El Camino Real, and several more housing/mixed use developments will come forward in the meantime.Â Â The next steps will show whether Santa Clara has turned the tide after initially declining three mixed-use/housing projects on ECR in the previous year.

—–

On Tuesday, October 24, the Santa Clara City Council will Â vote on a 151-unit mixed-use, senior apartment development with 18,000 square feet of retail. It is located on El Camino Real and Anna Drive, a 2-minute walk from a VTA 522 Rapid bus stop and a few minutes walk from two grocery stores and two pharmacies.

This is a great location for badly needed senior housing, and helps seniors live in a location where they can live much or all of daily life without driving.

Unfortunately, housing on El Camino near transit and services has been getting pushback in Santa Clara over the last year. This project could be voted down by City Council if they hear primarily from opponents.

This is a good time to share your thoughts with Santa Clara City Council.

You can come to the City Council meeting 7 pm on October 24th and give public comments. Santa Clara City Hall, 1500 Warburton Avenue. It’s the first regular item of business. Or send email toÂ mayorandcouncil@ santaclaraca.gov

Some points to consider:

the vision of evolving El Camino Real into a more walkable, livable place, providing badly needed homes for seniors

making this project better for sustainable transportation and traffic reduction by providing long-term transit passes (the project currently offers transit passes for 6 months, best practice according to TransForm GreenTrip is 40 years) and fully unbundled parking, allowing residents to save money by onlyÂ renting the parking spaces they need.

The agenda is here



Santa Clara opportunities for bike and pedestrian safety

Also if you have time and are interested, there is a joint meeting with the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee at 5pm – if you’ve been wanting to see street safety improvements for biking and walking in Santa Clara, come early and write Council before then.

Thanks for standing up for housing and sustainable transportation.