The Santa Clara Planning Commission is scheduled to review plans tonight to annex a portion of 451 El Camino Real into Santa Clara, Santa Clara County. The move would carve out nearly an acre from San Jose to allow for the development of 408 apartments overlooking the city’s Caltrain Station to occur without crossing city borders. Newport Beach-based Bixby Land Company is the project developer and applicant.
According to the meeting agenda, the planning department plans to pursue a prezone and pre-designation of a “General Plan Land Use, Annexation, and Vesting Tentative Subdivision Map to Allow the Development of 408 residential units at 451 El Camino Real.” The annexation would take 0.94 acres of land from the City of San Jose.
University Station site plan, illustration by KTGY
The development will replace four existing offices with 27 structures, including a five-story apartment complex and 26 multiplex townhouse buildings. There will be 297 apartments and 111 townhome residences, with an average density of 37 dwelling units per acre.
KTGY is the project architect. The podium-style apartment complex will wrap around the garage and two open courtyards. The apartments and townhomes will both be clad with a collage-style facade with bay windows and a top-level setback. Exterior materials will include brick veneer, lap-siding cement, and stucco.
University Station townhomes, illustration by KTGY
The Morley Bros filed the project application on behalf of the property owners, Bixby Land Company. Bixby acquired University Station in 2007, comprising four office buildings and a retail strip mall. One commercial structure, the retail, and the hotel will remain on-site. Eric Morley, Principal for Morley Bros, shared with YIMBY the following statement after the formal permits were filed in June 2024:
We look forward to delivering much-needed housing and affordable housing near transit in conformance with Santa Clara’s General Plan designation for the property and in collaboration with the City and community. Our plans for new high-density housing along El Camino Real will complement the existing residential neighborhood, enhance the mixed-use district, and support transit ridership.
Construction is estimated to last around four years from groundbreaking to completion. The expected cost has not yet been shared.
451 El Camino Real outlined approximately by YIMBY, image by Google Satellite
The Santa Clara Planning Commission meeting is scheduled to start tonight, Wednesday, August 26th, at 6 PM. The event will occur at City Hall, with online participation available via Zoom. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the meeting agenda here.
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I’m not opposed to this kind of housing in general, but it kind of eats up a ton of land that should be going to much denser uses… It’s next to the future Caltrain/BART station. Other examples of transit oriented uses like Springline, walnut creek transit village and others are far more ambitious. Even across the station on the other side, Gateway Crossing, is a better example of how to leverage transit adjacency without needing skyscrapers.