Santa Clara task force reviews preferred station-area concept; consultants outline Costco redevelopment trade-offs

Santa Clara Station Area Task Force members on June 19 reviewed a preferred development concept presented by WRT that focuses housing and office density near the Caltrain station, enlarges a transit plaza and keeps the existing Costco in place while identifying a long‑term path for mixed‑use redevelopment of the Costco parcel.

The presentation, delivered by Diksha Robert of WRT, summarized public‑workshop feedback and technical design work that informed the preferred concept. Robert said the concept attempts to balance community preferences for parks and open space with the practical goal of keeping the Costco in its current configuration. “The highest that we have here is 13 stories,” Robert said when asked about building heights near the station, and she described a development pattern that steps down in scale away from the station and concentrates office uses adjacent to transit.

Why it matters: the plan would reshape land uses within walking distance of the station, affect parking and transit operations owned by VTA and the city, and touch historic resources including the depot museum. Task force members pressed consultants on parking replacement, pedestrian safety on El Camino Real, bicycle access, the feasibility of underground parking near the bay, and how redevelopment could affect the depot and nearby historic adobe structures.

Major elements of the preferred concept

- Station plaza and multimodal access: The concept shows an expanded station plaza that aims to integrate a bus loop, kiss‑and‑ride/TNC drop‑off, and a substantial public space adjacent to the depot. The plan keeps a pedestrian overpass and an underpass at Benton/Brokaw in the design options,…