Santa Clara’s neglected downtown took a key turn toward revitalization in 2023, but there’s been little movement since. Market conditions and complex policies have slowed the progress since its approval. Frustrated residents want Santa Clara to move on developing six acres owned by the city as identified in the Downtown Precise Plan. The other 21...
Long-delayed Santa Clara project cuts office space
The behemoth development across the street from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara has received a key nod from city officials to help it move forward. The City Council approved a general plan change for Related Santa Clara to rezone about 98 acres of office space to light industrial in the 240-acre project. The vote was split...
Santa Clara readies two-year plan to tackle homelessness
Santa Clara is moving forward with plans to reduce homelessness, which include adding more shelter beds and increasing outreach. The City Council on Tuesday reviewed a draft, two-year work plan detailing tactics for the city to decrease homelessness and support unsheltered residents. The plan outlines 34 projects and goals, such as piloting a safe parking...
Santa Clara balances budget, restores rainy day funds
Santa Clara’s budget reserves are back to normal, but officials are still working to address hundreds of millions of dollars in needed infrastructure maintenance. The Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a $1.9 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025-26 and $1.4 billion for fiscal year 2026-27. The city anticipates ending it’s current...
Santa Clara may add parking fees to city-owned lots
Santa Clara needs to bolster its city budget — and public parking fees could be on the menu. Small businesses aren’t on board and worry customer traffic could drop because they won’t want to pay. Although the proposed 2025-26 city budget anticipates a $9.3 million surplus, the following five years are projecting red ink. To...
Santa Clara data centers hit max energy capacity
Santa Clara leaders are raising concerns about how the city’s dozens of data centers affect residents and the environment. Santa Clara has more standalone data centers than any other California city — 55 in operation and three in the pipeline, according to the city. Demand is growing as more people use the internet and digitally...
Santa Clara isn’t spending taxpayer money on World Cup upgrades
The world’s largest sporting event — the FIFA World Cup — is coming to the United States in 2026, and Santa Clara is one of the only cities not breaking the bank to prepare, a data analysis by San José Spotlight shows. The games will be hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Nearly all...
Santa Clara politicians turn to ChatGPT for advice
Santa Clara officials said they’ve used ChatGPT at two public meetings, sparking concerns about the use of artificial intelligence to inform decision makers. Artificial intelligence tools have been growing in popularity as cities like San Jose use it to improve road safety or translate public meetings. But the technology is still plagued with misinformation problems,...
Santa Clara approves another 1,000+ housing project
North Santa Clara is slated for more than a thousand new homes over the next few years, with whole neighborhoods under construction. The Santa Clara City Council gave its final approval March 25 on a 25.7-acre development at 2518 Mission College Blvd. The project will bring in 1,792 apartments, 268 of which will be affordable...
Santa Clara to spend millions fixing community swim center
Santa Clara is scrapping plans to temporarily reopen its swim center this spring, and instead is pushing forward with a broader renovation. The Santa Clara City Council has unanimously approved an additional $8.1 million to repair all three pools at the George F. Haines International Swim Center, along with the dive tower, boiler and other...