Santa Clara opens EIR scoping for proposed housing at 451 El Camino Real

City staff held a scoping meeting June 4 to begin preparation of an Environmental Impact Report for a proposed redevelopment at 451 El Camino Real that would replace existing office buildings and two parking garages with multifamily housing and townhomes.

City staff member Steve opened the meeting and passed the presentation to consultant Nick Costasquia, who said the project’s Notice of Preparation began circulating May 23 and will remain open until June 23. "Comments submitted tonight should focus more on scoping content of the EIR as opposed to the actual merits of the project or specific project design details," Costasquia said. He said the draft EIR is expected to be circulated in the fall, with a final EIR and public hearings anticipated in early spring of the following year.

The presenters described the site as occupied by roughly 216,000 square feet of office space and two parking garages that would be…