Commission approves Southridge Baptist Church project in unincorporated San Jose after CEQA MND and conditions change

The Santa Clara County Planning Commission on March 27 adopted a mitigated negative declaration under CEQA and approved a use permit with architecture and site approval and grading approval for a proposed Southridge Baptist Church campus on Piercy Road in unincorporated San Jose.

Staff presentation and CEQA: Laura Tran, a planner with the Department of Planning and Development, told commissioners the 5.84‑acre site lies east of Piercy Road and is zoned HSD‑1 (Hillside) with a general plan “Hillside” designation. The applicant proposed an 8,894‑square‑foot church building, a 12,058‑square‑foot multi‑purpose building, a 174‑space parking lot (including seven accessible spaces), a new septic system, a detention basin/bio‑retention area and landscaping. Staff concluded the project would not result in significant environmental impacts after mitigation in five areas (air quality, biology, greenhouse gas emissions, noise and wildfire) and recommended adoption of a Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), the mitigation monitoring and reporting program, the local‑serving finding and approval of the concurrent land‑use permits subject to conditions.

Key technical issues and corrections during hearing: Commissioners and staff discussed hillside zoning, design‑review applicability, drainage, and traffic. Rob Salisbury, the county zoning administrator and…