Santa Clara approves largest development project in Silicon Valley history near Levi’s Stadium

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Diya TV) — Santa Clara’s city council Tuesday unanimously approved the largest private development project in the history of Silicon Valley — a $6.5 billion mixed-use center and office campus will be installed just north of Levi’s Stadium at 5155 Stars & Stripes Drive.

Related Companies received the approval to develop the project on land which is now occupied by a city golf course and a dirt-bike track. The development will be known as City Place.

“We feel very excited about the project. It’s the biggest project in the history of Santa Clara,” Santa Clara’s acting City Manager Rajeev Batra said.

Santa Clara lacks a core retail, business or downtown district. Because of that, Batra said even the city’s own residents flock to neighbouring cities, which takes away from their own economy.

“We do not have a destination. We do not have an entertainment centre, restaurants, or retail. So people in Santa Clara have to go elsewhere like San Jose and stay over in a Hotel Near SAP Center,” Batra said.

The project has a square-footage total of 9.7 million square feet, and will include up to 5.7 million square feet of office space, 1.1 million square feet of retail, 700 hotel rooms and up to 1,360 apartment units for a total of 9.16 million square feet. A 35-acre park is also built into the plans.

The aforementioned Santa Clara Golf Course is currently housed on the grounds, a BMX track and restaurants also sit on the land.

“All the people around here golfing are more like friends and family so I’m kind of sad to hear that it’s going to go away,” said golf instructor Mike Kim, who has worked at the course for more than 20 years.

Some neighboring cities have begun to worry that Santa Clara only has its eye on a singular prize: the $17 million per year in rent the apartment units are estimated to generate. Others worry Santa Clara officials may be overlooking key aspects, such as traffic, a water shortage and other costs.

“Housing costs are already high and this would add tens of thousands of jobs with maybe only hundreds of homes,” San Jose Communications Director David Vossbrink said.

The city of Santa Clara says it has about 10,000 units included in its general plan, according to Batra. More, the State Water Resources Control Board still must approve water use for the project.