Task force backs preferred station-area concept emphasizing plaza, transit access and housing near Caltrain

The Station Area Task Force on June 19 reviewed a preferred development concept for the Station Area Specific Plan that concentrates higher-density housing and some office development near the Caltrain depot, preserves pipeline projects, adds a civic station plaza and explores options for the Costco site and VTA/city-owned transit parking land.

The plan reflects community workshop feedback that balanced a residential-priority vision with a “strategic growth mix.” WRT consultant Diksha Robert told the task force the workshop showed “a little bit of a mixed bag in terms of preferred concept,” with many participants drawn to parks in the residential option but a plurality choosing the strategic growth mix to retain Costco and broader downtown retail balance.

Task-force members and the consultant framed the preferred concept around several priorities that emerged from the public workshop: safer pedestrian crossings on El Camino Real; separated bike lanes and last‑mile connectivity; a network of public spaces including a 1.7-acre neighborhood park and a narrower linear park; and a station plaza that integrates multiple modes of access while preserving views to the historic depot.

The preferred concept keeps projects already in the city review pipeline (shown in the plan as existing or entitled) while concentrating taller residential buildings in blocks closest to Brokaw and the Caltrain station, stepping down to mid‑rise and townhome types farther afield. Robert said the highest buildings shown in the concept would reach about 13 stories based on current grade and airport/airspace constraints under study.

On mobility: the plan shows an enhanced station plaza with kiss-and-ride/TNC drop-off, bus bays similar to today’s transit loop, and an expanded bus transfer footprint that could use a proposed Benton–Brokaw connection. The presentation proposes protected bike lanes on El Camino Real and Benton/Brokaw, a bicycle garage (part of the underground parking) with vertical circulation pods, and a mix of pedestrian improvements including “scramble” crossings at major intersections and a potential overpass and an underpass across Caltrain.

On parking and parking replacement, the concept anticipates one or two levels of underground parking to replace the existing surface transit parking; the team discussed options for assigning parking among public parking, office and residential uses and reserving a portion for bicycle parking. The consultant noted developers may still provide some parking for marketability despite state parking rules near transit.

The task force examined the Costco parcel as a case study. WRT presented a Los Angeles mixed‑use precedent: a roughly five‑acre site with about 800 residential units, 184 low‑income units, five levels of subterranean parking and five stories of residential above a ground‑floor Costco. WRT cautioned that deep subterranean parking like that precedent may be difficult at the Santa Clara site because of a high water table and proximity to the bay, but the economic consultant said the redevelopment scenario should not be ruled out over a longer time horizon.

Members raised preservation and foundation concerns near historic resources and the university. The plan illustrates stepped‑back building forms and lower heights near the depot to protect view corridors and the historic train station; the consultants said they would refine plaza and streetscape design to better honor mission‑era architecture while keeping the remainder of the plan contemporary.

VTA and city‑owned parcels were discussed as potential redevelopment sites. The concept shows an office or mixed‑use building on the transit parking parcel while retaining a central public plaza; presenters said VTA has not objected to development concepts to date but that ownership and VTA priorities will shape any formal redevelopment.

Public comment included a statement from Eric Morley of Morley Brothers on behalf of Bixby Capital Management, owner of 495 El Camino (a retail corner that includes Starbucks). Morley asked the city and consultant to consider flexible zoning and CEQA scope for that corner so the site could respond to market conditions and support “early and iconic development.” He asked for follow-up coordination on the plaza designation for that parcel.

Discussion vs. decisions: the meeting consisted of review and direction; task‑force members and staff asked the consultants to refine design‑guidelines and open‑space standards, and to proceed with traffic/circulation and infrastructure analyses. No zoning changes or approvals were adopted at this meeting.

Next steps: the consultants said they will prepare open‑space and streetscape standards and proceed with traffic and infrastructure analyses based on the preferred concept; the task force will review those materials at future meetings. The task force also noted a city study session on the El Camino Real specific plan scheduled for June 24 (as announced at the meeting).