El Camino Real Specific Plan
The Planning Commission will hold a special hearing on Monday, May 10 at 6 p.m. to hear the final details of the El Camino Real Specific Plan. Santa Clara’s Planning Department was supposed to present the plan at the April 28 Planning Commission meeting but needed more time to put the finishing touches on the plan.
The El Camino Real Specific Plan will provide an outline for future development along El Camino Real in Santa Clara. During the May 10 meeting, the Planning Commission will vote on whether or not to recommend the plan to the City Council for final approval.
Twisters Gymnastics
During the April 28 meeting, the Planning Commission approved a request for a conditional use permit at 2800 Bowers Avenue, near the intersection of Bowers Ave. and Mead Ave. The request was made by Twisters Gymnastics, a youth gymnastics center that was previously operating in Sunnyvale.
Twisters was in the process of relocating to the site on Bowers Ave. when COVID-19 hit. It briefly reopened at the Bowers Ave. location, but shut back down after receiving a citation from the City Planning Department. Twisters’ owner says the citation was the result of a big misunderstanding.
“We were given a letter from the PCC indicating that it had already passed planning and it was on to the next phase,” said Allan Fusilero. “I was under the impression that once it passed planning, that a conditional use permit was given. That was not the case. We received a complaint and as soon as we received the complaint, we shut down immediately. We let all of our customers know that we haven’t received [the permit yet] and we’ve been shut down ever since.”
Fusilero and his wife have operated Twisters for the last 15 years. He says he has students that are anxious to get back out there.
“We’ve been closed for over a year. We’ve got over 100 kids that are really wanting to get back and waiting,” said Fusilero.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved the conditional use permit subject to conditions of approval set forward by the City Planning Department.
Santa Clara Receives Two Awards
Santa Clara and its Planning Department are being recognized for their hard work by the Northern California Chapter of the American Planning Association.
The City and community groups including Reclaiming Our Downtown, the Old Quad Resident Association and the Santa Clara Parade of Champions received the Award of Excellence for their grassroots initiatives to push the rebuilding of Downtown Santa Clara.
The City in conjunction with its partner housing developers also received the Large Jurisdiction Comprehensive Plan Award of Excellence for the Tasman East Specific Plan. The plan was recognized for its use of open space, access to amenities and transportation as well as urban design and recognition of the region’s housing issues.
City staff says it is unusual for a city to receive two awards in the same year. Both awards now move to the state level of competition.
The next regular scheduled meeting is on Wednesday, May 26 at 6 p.m.