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Multi-jurisdiction Stevens Creek Boulevard vision study advances; Santa Clara notes and files plan
Summary
A multi-agency vision study for Stevens Creek Boulevard presented high-level recommendations for transit, active-transportation and long-term high-capacity options. The City of Santa Clara held a study session, accepted the study for review and asked staff to return for formal adoption in mid-2025.
The City of Santa Clara on March 2025 held a study session on the Stevens Creek Boulevard Vision Study, a multi-jurisdiction planning effort led by VTA and partner cities to develop a high-level transportation vision for Stevens Creek/West San Carlos between Downtown San Jose and Cupertino. Assistant Director of Public Works Mike Lou presented the study's scope, outreach and recommended near-, mid- and long-term concepts, and council members and members of the public offered questions and comments.
The study, prepared with community advisory-group input and a steering committee representing Santa Clara, San Jose, Cupertino, the County of Santa Clara and VTA, recommends a menu of improvements including near-term bus-speed and bus-priority treatments, a program of protected and buffered bicycle facilities, improved pedestrian crossings and a long-term evaluation of a separated, high-capacity transit alignment along the corridor. Staff emphasized that the document is a vision-level plan, not a construction-ready design, and that jurisdictional coordination will be required for implementation and funding.
Why it matters: Stevens Creek Boulevard spans multiple cities and includes commuter, retail and institutional destinations; corridor improvements could yield measurable transit-speed increases, better pedestrian and bicycle safety, and a stronger regional transit connection linking De Anza College, Diridon Station and downtown San Jose.
Findings and recommendations: outreach included stakeholder interviews, pop-ups, community advisory-group workshops and a corridor tour. Themes from public input included concerns about vehicle speeds, requests for safer crossings, demand for protected bicycle infrastructure, and interest in improved transit reliability. The plan lists near-term actions such as adopting a transit signal priority policy and deploying targeted bus-speed measures (bus bulbs, boarding islands and real-time transit information); mid-term ideas include completing sidewalk networks and adding shade trees; and long-term options call for continued refinement of a separated transit alignment if funding and regional priorities support it.
Steering committee and BPAC: the joint steering committee recommended adoption of the study for agency use but asked that agencies continue to meet to coordinate next steps and stressed that the study should be framed as a recommendation plan rather than an immediate implementation directive. The city's Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee voted unanimously to recommend the study to council.
Public comment and emphasis on implementation: speakers urged faster implementation of bus- and bike-priority improvements, and several commenters asked the city to pursue short-term, quick-build bus lanes rather than only long-range elevated transit studies. Commenters noted Stevens Creek's role as a county-level corridor and urged the city to work with partner agencies on funding and rapid pilot projects.
Next steps: staff said the study will proceed to formal action; the council moved to note and file the study with direction to return for adoption in mid-2025 and to reconvene the long-term steering committee to support near-, mid- and long-term coordination and funding searches.
