Council approves Irvine Company plan for 1,792 homes at 2518 Mission College Boulevard

The Santa Clara City Council voted unanimously to approve a redevelopment plan by the Irvine Company for 2518 Mission College Boulevard, clearing the way for a 1,792-unit residential complex and related public improvements.

City staff presented the project as five five‑story buildings arranged in a wrap‑parking configuration, with roughly 3,500 square feet of retail, 3.48 acres of public parkland on the southern edge of the site and a proposed north–south pedestrian connector to Mission College Boulevard. "The project includes 5 residential buildings, each of which is 5 stories tall," Afsha Hamid, the city’s community development director, told the council during the public hearing presentation.

The council’s action approved four related items together: an addendum to the Freedom Circle Future Focus Area Plan environmental impact report and mitigation monitoring program, a general‑plan text amendment adding a policy to the Freedom Circle focus area, a rezoning from high‑intensity office/research and development to Planned Development (PD), and a vesting tentative subdivision map.

Why it matters: the site lies inside the Freedom Circle focus area, a jobs‑rich part of the city near Levi’s Stadium and Great America Parkway that the city authorized for conversion to high‑density residential use to help meet its Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The vote advances a project the staff said would contribute to meeting the city’s housing obligations, add public parkland, and provide multimodal connections to nearby trails and transit.

Project details reported to council and the public include: 1,792 units (69.6 units per acre), 15% on‑site affordability required by city policy (a stated 5% at 50% AMI and 10% at 100% AMI, yielding 194 affordable units after the applicant elected to round a fractional unit up), and an additional 67% of units labeled by the applicant as “affordable by design” (smaller “smart‑size” units averaging 667 square feet). Carlene Mattschneff, vice president of entitlements for the Irvine Company, told the council the project will include “8 and a half acres of both public and private park,” with 4.25 acres of public dedicated park and 4.22 acres of private amenity space.

Transport and public‑realm changes include: Class 4 separated bike lanes, a new east–west internal street with sidewalks and a central node with retail and leasing offices, guest parking in excess of code (333 guest spaces reported), and a proposed traffic signal and conversion of Hitchbourne to two‑way operation to provide an additional egress route to Great America Parkway. The city’s traffic staff said the signal was warranted by the traffic studies that accompanied the Freedom Circle focus area and the project, and that timing/operational measures would be used to limit event-day impacts.

Public comment and labor/community support: During the hearing, more than two dozen members of the public and community organizations spoke, the majority in support. Speakers who urged approval included representatives from the Housing Action Coalition, labor unions emphasizing use of skilled local labor, officials from local education and business groups, and nearby residents citing walkability and parkland. Ally Sacerman of the Housing Action Coalition said the project "greatly contributes to the state‑mandated RHNA requirements and helps to address the region's affordability crisis." Several unions encouraged the developer to use local union labor in construction.

Council questions centered on park size and program, architectural detail and maintaining the Irvine Company design quality, bicycle and trail connections, and the proposed Hitchbourne/Great America Parkway signal. Staff and the applicant said final architectural refinements and park programming would be reviewed at later staff level or Parks Commission steps; staff emphasized the applicant will provide park fees and on‑site parking within the park. The developer said rooftop photovoltaics, EV charging in garages and an intent to exceed local tree‑replacement requirements were included in the package.

Formal action and outcome: Councilmember Hardy moved approval; a second was recorded. The council voted unanimously to adopt resolutions approving the EIR addendum and mitigation monitoring program, the general plan amendment, the rezoning to PD, and the vesting tentative map. The council also requested a follow‑up technical study session on the proposed Hitchbourne/Great America signal to better understand how the signal would be timed during commute and stadium event conditions.

What’s next: Architectural review, park design and final construction and building permits are expected to proceed at the staff level after the entitlements are final. Staff told the council that participation and detail on construction phasing, park final design, and traffic improvements will be forthcoming as the project moves into building review and construction phases.