Santa Clara County Land Use & Development Articles

Los Gatos’ famous poles with orange netting and flags are a thing of the past on some development projects in town.
The Los Gatos Town Council on Tuesday voted 3-2 to formalize revisions to its height pole and netting policy …

Santa Clara County may need an abundance of lawn mowers if artificial turf is banned on public playing fields.
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 3-2 to study the ramifications of artificial turf on county land, …

Cupertino is inches away from securing approval of its state-mandated housing plan more than a year past the deadline — and following a legal battle due to its noncompliance.
Cupertino’s housing plan has received the state’s stamp of approval on …

Construction began this week on the City of Gilroy’s grant-funded makeover of Gourmet Alley in the downtown, and some business and property owners are concerned about the possible impact the work will have on their operations. 

Cupertino pickleballers are fed up with having to share city courts with tennis players — but a solution might be coming.
The Cupertino City Council unanimously approved a plan this month that includes eight pickleball courts in Memorial Park’s conceptual …

Cupertino officials had hoped to see revenues funneling in from two hotels — instead they found themselves approving permit extensions.
The Cupertino City Council on Wednesday unanimously extended the development timeline for two upscale hotels by three years, due to …

Even though Campbell has failed to meet its housing requirements over the years, this time around the city plans to construct thousands of new homes in its growing community.
The Campbell City Council on Tuesday unanimously agreed to rezone sections …

Nearly all the cities in Santa Clara County — including San Jose — are moving so slow in meeting state housing goals that hitting the numbers looks like a pipe dream, a data analysis by San José Spotlight shows.
Every …

Some of California’s top lawmakers want to clear up, but also rein in, the “builder’s remedy.”

Hundreds of granny units are popping up everywhere in San Jose due to a successful city program implemented five years ago.
The city has issued nearly 3,000 permits and seen 1,451 granny units, also known as backyard homes or accessory …

Two San Jose councilmembers have an ambitious plan to house thousands of the city's homeless residents — but some of their colleagues say it will move the city backwards.
Councilmembers Bien Doan and Arjun Batra have proposed a pilot program …

Santa Clara County’s second largest city just got its housing plans approved by the state, kickstarting 45 programs to increase development and put a dent in the housing crisis.
After three rounds of review by the state’s Department of Housing …

San Jose officials have a daunting task of balancing the budget as they attempt to preserve city services with a $52.1 million shortfall.
The San Jose City Council unanimously approved Mayor Matt Mahan’s March budget message on Tuesday, but not …

The plan to turn a historic-yet-blighted downtown San Jose park into a major event venue as part of the city's revitalization plans faces a major delay.
After a four-year battle over a redesign of St. James Park between the city …

Santa Clara County officials may help finance San Jose’s multimillion-dollar safe parking efforts and set up more sites on unused public property for the region's homeless residents.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously agreed on Tuesday to look into both possibilities …

A Campbell warehouse project is moving forward in a small industrial section of the city, despite neighbors’ insistence that it will create an eyesore in their backyards.
The Campbell City Council last Tuesday voted 3-2 to deny an appeal for …

The VTA megaproject to bring BART to downtown San Jose and Santa Clara, with a cost estimate that's already ballooned to more than two and a half times its original target, is now facing yet another increase and timeline delay. …

There’s a near constant cacophony of hammering, drilling and welding near the Great America Amtrak station as Santa Clara builds up its transit-oriented housing.
The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a tentative map for another project along …

The Williamson Act, passed in 1965, now keeps more than 16 million acres of farmland out of the hands of developers. Here's how the law puts the brakes on the development of California agricultural properties.

The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.