About 50 people attended the Saturday morning meeting while almost 90 people attended the workshop on Monday evening, seated in groups of 8 in the cooling room at the Senior Center. The two sessions were roughly the same. I participated in the Saturday session and stayed as an observer Monday. Besides the planning staff, former Mayor Eddie Souza was notable on Saturday, while Monday brought in current Vice Mayor Joe Kornder and Planning Commissioner Teresa O’Neill. Participants were not limited to Santa Clara residents, and there were quite a few people from Sunnyvale and San Jose. Lifelong Santa Clara Residents and residents who had lived in the city for over 20 years were easily balanced by the number of people who were more recent immigrants. There were several lifelong residents who lived in the city for less than 15 years simply because of age.

Santa Clara Planning Director Kevin Riley provided some background for the workshops. The General Plan will represent the over 115,503 people in Santa Clara (number was provided by the Department of Finance and is current as of January 2008). For reference,

Year Population Growth
1950 11,000 -
1990 92,000 -
2008 115,000 -
2020 131,000 16,000
2035 146,000 31,000

As of 2005, there were 105,000 jobs in the city.

Year Jobs Growth
2005 105,000 -
2035 156,000 51,000

Harriett Robles, the President of Mission College, provided the opening speech both nights, describing the General Plan update process Mission College is undergoing. Rather than simply remodel certain parts of the school, Mission College felt it best to review the entire campus to allow greater flexibility in meeting the needs of the 10,000 students it supports. The planners need to be Responsible and Responsive and the plan requires what Ms. Robles calls “the Four Cs (plus One)”:

  • Courage
  • Commitment
  • Creativity
  • Collaboration
  • (Capital)

The meeting was then handed over to Rajeev Bhatia, principal planner at a planning firm Santa Clara uses as a consultant, who got the workshop started. The goals of the workshops were to initiate dialogue with the community, to get feedback on key topics, and to begin to identify common themes and visions for the city.

The purpose of the General Plan:

  • Outlines the vision for long-range physical development in the city
  • Provides specific implementing actions that will allow the vision to be accomplished.

The General Plan should be:

  • Comprehensive (it should take into account all desired aspects of the city)
  • Long-Range (the current update should guide development through the year 2035)
  • Internally Consistent (there should be harmony among the different areas)
  • Vertically Consistent (Zoning and General Plan should be in agreement)

Mr. Bhatia then brought the participants to their first exercise: the “Pop Quiz” (It was really just a feedback session; it was more about what you thought and felt than what you knew). There were 10 feedback questions to answer to help define opportunities and challenges and identify possible solutions. It was really an individual exercise although it was listed for “small groups”. Participants wrote out their answers on Post-it note squares and stuck them to posters which lined the walls of the room. Here is a sampling (questions and answers overheard or seen):

    Identity and Vision

  1. What word do you think best defines Santa Clara?
    Diverse, Flat, Small Town, Potential, Heartless, No Downtown, Comfortable, Fragmented, Community
  2. What do you like most about Santa Clara?
    Quiet, Size, Neighbors, Climate, People, Diversity, Utilities, Small Town, Community
  3. What can be done to make Santa Clara better?
    Remember Our History, Downtown, Responsible Development, More Schools, Transportation, No Stadium, No More Apartments

    4. Future Growth and Development

  4. Where should new homes and businesses be allowed in the future?
    Nowhere, Alviso, Sunnyvale, We Are Full, Dilapidated Areas Around Stadium, No Homes On El Camino Real, Near Transportation, Plazas, Businesses On El Camino Real
  5. What would you like to see happen in the downtown area?
    No Planned Ghettos, More Businesses, What Downtown Area?, Common Architecture, Arts-Centered District, More Trees, Apartments Above Businesses
  6. What type of development would you like to see along El Camino Real?
    Restaurants, No Houses, Entertainment, More Businesses, Apartments Above Businesses

    7. Environmental and Open Space

  7. What environmental resources should be protected as the city grows?
    Open Space, Parks, Water, Air, Land
  8. What are the top two priorities for parks and open space?
    More Parks, More Open Space, Make Them Look Nicer, Family Friendly, Art

    9. Neighborhoods

  9. What is the name of your neighborhood, and what will most enhance your neighborhood?
    No High-Density Housing, More Businesses, No Graffiti

    10. Transportation

  10. What should be the future priorities?
    Light Rail, BART, Fewer People, Easier Access To Existing Trains And Light Rail, People Movers

After discussing the results and trying to identify common themes, Mr. Bhatia then transitioned to our real small group exercise: the “Time Magazine” cover. Participants were given a cover for an imaginary magazine called “California Today” and asked to come up with a headline they would like to see in the year 2035, when the General Plan period would be complete. Participants came up with their own individual covers, and then each table tried to come up with a group cover. This is when the conversations flew fast and furious. There were moderators at each table who tried to focus the discussions, but the topic was so rich many residents could not be contained. Several tables abandoned coming up with a headline and focused on getting as many of the diverse thoughts in as possible.

Although Mr. Bhatia had set a direction for the headline — the best possible outcome you could imagine in 2035 — several tables presented their fears as well. The very first group on Saturday presented both optimistic and pessimistic headlines, which was brilliant. John Reagan got the dubious honor of presenting “High-Density Development Backfires“, which was clearly on the minds of a majority of people at these workshops.

A sampling of headline snip-its and bylines:

Santa Clara: World-class City Wins Olympic Bid
 Because of Transit, Stadium, International Swim Center, Vibrant Downtown Area, Entertainment, Education, Multiculturalism, and Opportunity.

America’s Most Notable City
 Lifelong learning district, Schools and Universities, Safety, Small Town Feel, Engaged Community

Santa Clara, Perennial All-American City
 Excellent in every category; other cities strive to be like Santa Clara
Good to live and work.

South Bay’s Best-Kept Secret
 World-class Attitude, Small Town Feel

Forbes Declares Santa Clara Most Forward Family City
 Because of Schools, Green policies, and the ability to live, work, shop, and play in the same community.

Found Downtown!
 Best Little Green City In America Finally Finds Its Heart

A Notable City For All Ages, A City With A Mission
 high-tech, for all ages, diverse, innovative, modern, 100% solar, engaged community, great quality of life

Back To The Future
 Community Drives Green Growth; Hometown Rebirth

The Best Place To Live And Work
 Quality of Life, Lots of Different Kinds of Jobs — Santa Clara is a Magnet City

A Caring Small Town

Intelligent Planning Keeps Santa Clara The Most Livable City… Again
 Safety, Education, Open Space, Property Values