The immediate redevelopment proposal covers nearly five acres, a small part of the roughly 25-acre Santa Clara core bulldozed in the 1960s in the name of urban renewal. The city is seeking a development partner for its land across from Santa Clara University, envisioning housing, shops, restaurants and public space. The project is one step in a larger effort to rebuild the historic downtown.
The RFP targets 900 and 1000 Lafayette Street. The RFP materials describe the site as a 4.83-acre parcel and say it is within walking distance of the Santa Clara Station's Caltrain service and a future BART stop. ABC7 Bay Area describes the site as nearly five acres. The city is seeking, in its words, “a transformative project led by an experienced and visionary development partner that will bring to fruition housing, amenities, and placemaking.”
BART Extension Is Still in Design
The future BART service cited in the site's transit description is not yet operating. VTA says the Silicon Valley Phase II extension is in design and engineering and is planned to extend service to Santa Clara. The project's construction overview lists 2037 as the target passenger service date, according to the VTA BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project.
What the City Wants Built
ABC7 reports that the city expects at least 300 homes, with 25% set aside as affordable housing for low-income households under the RFP. The proposal also includes ground-floor retail, a two-story food and beverage hall, a town square and arts commons plaza, parking, a cultural arts space, and a theater intended to recreate the historic Santa Clara Theater.
The site is currently occupied by an aging office building, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal. ABC7 reports that buildings housing longtime businesses, including The Hungry Hound and Frozos, will likely be demolished. Some business owners hope they can afford to return after redevelopment, the outlet reported.
A Director's Long-Awaited Milestone
Reena Brilliot, the city's director of economic development and sustainability, told ABC7 that the effort has been “a long time in the making” and that the city hopes the site will help begin a broader downtown revitalization. She also said the city wants to support longtime mom-and-pop businesses in the area, ABC7 reported.
A Downtown Erased in the 1960s
Santa Clara's original downtown core — an eight-block area that included the Santa Clara Theater — was razed in the 1960s, with the demolition dated to 1964 by the advocacy group Reclaiming Our Downtown. Sanjosespotlight.com reports that around 25 acres bounded by Benton Street, Lafayette Street, Homestead Road and Madison Street were leveled in that era of urban renewal.
Dan Ondrasek, co-chair of Reclaiming Our Downtown, told ABC7 he remembers visiting downtown as a child and seeing the historic theater come down. He said earlier efforts to restore downtown did not succeed, in part because federal funding was withdrawn, and that residents have waited 60 years for its return. Ondrasek said he supports the current mixed-use approach and hopes the theater's 40-foot sign spelling out Santa Clara will eventually be restored, ABC7 reported.
Bigger Visions, Unclear Status
The current RFP for nearly five acres is distinct from plans for the broader downtown area, and the status of earlier concepts is not clear from available records. Santa Clara City Council approved a plan in December 2023 to rebuild downtown across its original acreage. Reclaiming Our Downtown says that plan calls for more than 1,000 homes, over 100 storefronts and more than 2,200 jobs. Earlier city planning documents described a project with 396 residential units and more than 129,000 square feet of retail-commercial space, placed on hold pending improved economic and real estate conditions. A separate CEQA filing listed a larger proposed alternative of 1,326 homes alongside office, hotel and retail space.
The city previously set aside $400,000 to develop a new precise plan for the 10-block area once occupied by downtown. San José Spotlight reported that the process could take 18 months to two years and would be guided by a Downtown Community Task Force. Reclaiming Our Downtown has separately proposed restoring the original street grid across ten blocks, combining homes above shops with offices next to cafes, and introducing streetcar service along the main corridor.
Next Steps for Developers
Interested developers must attend a mandatory in-person pre-proposal conference scheduled for Nov. 18, which requires an RSVP, according to aiasiliconvalley.org. City officials estimate that selecting a developer could take about nine months, and ABC7 reports that actual construction and redevelopment would still be years away after that selection process concludes. Not every mixed-use push in Santa Clara has gone smoothly — a separate proposed project at 950 Monroe Street, which would have included 50 condos and four townhomes, drew opposition from the city's Historic Landmarks Commission and Downtown Community Task Force even as the Planning Commission backed it, according to svvoice.com, with the City Council ultimately deferring a vote on that project 4-1.
