A plan to remove the “Historic Combining Zoning” from a property across the street from Franklin Square will go to the Santa Clara City Council.
The Planning Commission recommended that the council remove the Mills Act distinction from one of the properties the council created when it approved a plan to split the lot at 1341 Homestead Road earlier this year.
1341 Homestead Rd. and 906 Monroe St. are zoned “Historic Combining.” The owner of the single-family lots wants to change the Homestead Road property to downtown zoning. He will keep the Monroe Street property a historic resource.
The owner would sell the Homestead property and use the proceeds to improve the Monroe property. He’d like to convert 906 Monroe St. into a single-family residence. It currently has some dormitory-style construction.
Third Clean Up of Santa Clara’s Zoning Code Ordinance
Exactly a year after its last clean-up of Santa Clara’s zoning code, the commission looked at suggestions for new changes.
The new clean-up calls for the following:
- Incorporate provisions for historic combining districts;
- Allow for existing wireless facilities to be reinstalled as building-mounted facilities after redevelopment;
- Differentiate institutional uses from assembly uses in public and quasi-public districts;
- Remove public hearing requirement for architectural review of multi-family development projects, consistent with state law;
- Rezone Tasman East district from TN (old code) to R6 (current code);
- Add a “dwelling unit” definition;
- Revise the definition of “demolition;”
- Make the general plan and zoning code definitions of floor area ratio consistent;
- Revise the visibility clearance diagram;
- Make fully unbundled parking and no assigned spaces for multi-family rental projects greater than 15 units consistent with state law.
Two other changes caused debate.
In the interest of “streamlining,” the city wanted to delete the requirement for web posting public hearing notices. It’s city practice, but not part of the public outreach policy. City employees already mail notices and include the item on the online agenda. They said web posting is “onerous.”
Commissioner Priya Cherukuru said removing the posting was “illogical” and not setting the city up for the future.
Assistant City Attorney Xander Abbe said it was an issue of redundancy.
Cherukuru asked if it was only attached to an agenda; how would someone know which agenda to search?
Planning Manager Leslie Xavier said large projects also have the city’s project page. However, when Cherukuru asked about the Sutter Health project, there was no page because no projects had been submitted yet.
Xavier admitted, “You’d have to know to look.”
Cherukuru replied, “That’s the point. People don’t have that kind of time.”
Commissioner Eric Crutchlow wanted to know how many people click on the notice. The city did not have exact numbers.
The discussion briefly digressed into the fact that the entire website probably needed a revamp.
Ultimately, Cherukuru said she was annoyed by the city’s wording.
“That there will not be any web postings for public notice of public hearings. That’s what I’m more focused on,” she said.
Abbe said prior to 2024, there was no obligation; the city didn’t do it. It’s also not required by state law.
The planning commission unanimously recommended that the council approve the zoning code cleanup, with the added language that something “relevant and accessible” to the public be posted online.
Another discussion item was smoke shops. It changed the city recommendation by removing the “ands,” replacing them with “ors,” and adding the wording “any combination thereof.”
The new recommendation passed unanimously.
Commissioner Nancy Biagini moved to discuss at a later meeting an ordinance on the distance between smoke shops and anything youth-sensitive.
That recommendation passed 5-1. Commissioner Qian Huang voted no.
The commission also unanimously passed the recommendation to rezone the Tasman East district to the new R6 code.
Planning Commission Consent Calendar and Other Business
Commissioner Yashraj Bhatnagar was absent and excused from the meeting.
The commission approved the May 20, 2026 meeting minutes.
Commissioners elected new officers. Biagini will serve as chair, Crutchlow vice chair and Cherukuru secretary.
Crutchlow asked the commission to discuss at a future meeting a plan to have a representative at city council meetings to answer potential questions about planning commission items. The commission unanimously agreed.
The next planning commission meeting is Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 6 p.m. in Santa Clara City Council chambers.
