SANTA CLARA — A decision on whether a developer is permitted to go ahead with a higher-density mix of single-family homes and townhomes on their Pioneer Parkway land will have to wait a little longer after the Santa Clara City Council unanimously voted to hold off a vote on the proposal at their meeting Wednesday night at Santa Clara Town Hall.
No reason was provided for the motion to table the request by developer Clayton Leavitt to rezone the property, located between 400 East and Patricia Drive bordered by the parkway and Tuscany Drive, from low-density (three homes per acre) to medium-density (eight homes per acre.)
The proposal has drawn criticism from a group of residents who say it is too dense and contains too many multi-family dwellings. The council also has been split on whether to approve the rezoning. Leavitt, who was not present at the Wednesday meeting, has argued the development will bring more affordable housing to the city.
During its April 12 meeting, the City Council voted, 3-2, to table the request and give the developer a chance to revise the proposal. Two council members expressed support for the proposal and two against it. Council member Ben Shakespeare expressed some trepidation but moved to table the proposal to give the developer another chance to come back with a less-dense proposal to the city’s Planning Commission and potentially return to the council.
Before a nearly full chamber at a public hearing, the Planning Commission approved the revised request on May 23 and sent it back to the council. Of the 17 residents who spoke at the public hearing, 16 expressed opposition.
One of the council members who voted in favor of the rezoning on April 12, Leina Mathis, was absent from the council on Wednesday. The rezoning proposal is not on the agenda for the Santa Clara Council’s meeting next Wednesday, June 28.
A decision the council was able to make Wednesday night was a unanimous 4-0 vote to approve the city’s 2023 to 2024 fiscal year budget.
With no comment from either council members or members of the public in a public hearing, the council gave final approval to a budget that includes balanced general funds revenues of $9,324,860 and $9,324,860 in spending – a 3% increase from 2022-23, with the biggest expenditures coming from the combined Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue department. The budget overall is a 2% increase from 2022-23.
The biggest piece of the budget is going to the combined Santa Clara-Ivins Fire and Rescue, with $2,872,297 in spending – a 21% increase from the previous year.
Update June 22, 4 p.m. Update on rezoning not being on next meeting agenda.
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