Santa Clara County Land Use & Development Digest

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is adding his support for a local ordinance drafted to assist low-income tenants in San Jose remain in their neighborhoods.

A permit application has been filed to convert the historic Bank of Italy office tower in San Jose to 100+ units of housing.

Last weekend, President Biden signed a package of bills that included $205 million in construction funding for Sites Reservoir, a proposed $4.5 billion project planned for the rolling ranchlands  west of the town of Maxwell, about 70 miles north of Sacramento.

The 7410 square foot building at 445 Bryant Street is city-owned, with rent to be used to fund programs specifically for Palo Alto youth and teens.

The Santa Clara Planning Commission denied a conditional use permit for a development at 2805 Bowers Avenue involving the replacement of an existing two-story building with a new four-story data center.

After two years of planning, Cupertino is ready to begin the contractor bidding process and then start construction of the $4.8 million project.

The Wildlife Conservation Board voted to award $10.3 million to the Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County to preserve the 27,000-acre Camatta Ranch in Santa Margarita.

The California Environmental Quality Act has often been used, or misused, to block housing construction and other projects. A new state appellate court decision could reduce that practice.

Residents of San Rafael say the project could bring noise, pollution and crime to the area.

California Forever CEO Jan Sramek says promises of new homes, jobs, investments are binding, but legal experts and elected officials are skeptical.

After facing cutbacks and years of delays, the largest single housing project in Cupertino's history has secured approval for the Rise, a mixed-use development that will include 2,669 apartments and homes.

The term “unsubsidized 100% affordable project” was once an oxymoron. Under Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles is now approving them by the hundreds.

California voters this spring are considering a $6.4 billion bond to house people with serious mental health conditions. A similar 2018 ballot measure offers lessons about the obstacles that stand in the way of construction.

Downtown Sacramento faces many challenges, but the growing number of small businesses, hotels, homes and other major developments signal its transformation, says the city’s mayor.

For three years West San Jose residents have been fighting the city over construction of a Costco in their neighborhood, especially when there are four others just minutes away.

Cupertino’s latest mixed-use, affordable housing project is almost ready to open its doors. The Westport Senior Apartments will add 267 homes to the city’s inventory.

Milpitas resident Chia-Ling Kong was voted onto the Milpitas Planning Commission by a 3-2 vote, with Mayor Carmen Montano, Vice Mayor Evelyn Chua, and Councilmember Garry Barbadillo voting in favor.

In a 6-1 vote, the Mountain View City Council approved a motion to keep the gatekeeper process, which allows for developers to offer up projects that deviate from zoning rules in exchange for public benefits.

Just weeks after a deal fell through to buy the Richmond Ranch for development, county leaders are moving forward with turning the open space into a massive park.

A Los Altos shopping center on El Camino Real that was engulfed by a fire on Christmas Day just entered its first phase of demolition.

On Jan. 31, dozens of cities and counties are expected to convert thousands of suburban-style tracts into apartment-ready parcels. Will the state hold them to it?

Months after work crews removed tattered tarps and worn wraps from a languishing, historic former church in downtown San Jose, preservationists are worried city officials have lost urgency around protecting the building for the long term.

For years, Santa Clara postponed needed maintenance and replacing aging facilities, and the bill now adds up to $571 million this year. It has been near this level for years, and the only thing that’s changed is that, now, everything is older.

A major housing project proposed in the East Whisman neighborhood received praise for adding more green space and affordable units, but not with some misgivings about the loss of trees and where those affordable units would go.

A new coalition that includes former mayors, philanthropists, athletes and volunteers is spearheading a $33-million campaign to revive a project to build Palo’s first city-owned gym.

Garrett Kuramoto was born and raised in Sunnyvale. This Santa Clara resident is also the superintendent of libraries for the city of Sunnyvale; and right now, he is working with the city to build a second library in the Lakewood area in north Sunnyvale.

Seeking to accelerate Tesla’s plans to open its new engineering headquarters, the City Council approved a deal with the car giant to expedite an upgrade of a substation on Hanover Street.

Los Altos residents will soon be seeing firsthand the progress of Los Altos leaders’ efforts to restore a landmark heritage apricot orchard at the city’s civic center.

A federal appeals court has declined to reconsider its controversial April 2023 decision that mutes Los Altos’ and other cities’ attempts to require natural gas bans in new construction.

Although the front portion of 4600 El Camino Real has been cleared for demolition, crews postponed scheduled work. No official reason was given for the delay or when demolition could begin.

Downtown San Jose’s Pacific Motor Inn is transforming from a hotel that once used to shelter people from COVID-19 into a massive mixed-income apartment complex.

Castilleja School, which won the right to redevelop its Bryant Street campus in 2022 despite neighborhood opposition, will return to the public spotlight next week when the city considers its plan to relocate an easement.