By Robert Haugh
The Santa Clara City Council approved a series of amendments to the Related Santa Clara project, the mega mixed-use development across from Levi’s Stadium.
The approved amendments introduce a new land use scenario called “Scheme C.” It shifts the development focus for Parcels 1 and 2 from office space to light industrial uses. This includes data centers, logistics, warehousing, and advanced manufacturing.
According to Related and City staff, the decision responds to post-pandemic shifts in the real estate market. Since 2019, there has been reduced demand for office space and rising construction costs. The changes will help accelerate development by catering to current market demands.
Under the approved plan, unused development from Parcels 1 and 2 will be transferred to Parcel 4. That means additional office, retail, and residential space in the City Center.
The changes ensure that the overall development cap of 9.16 million square feet remains intact.
The new development scheme also provides for increased affordable housing. The project will now dedicate 15 percent of its residential units to affordable housing. That’s up from the original 10 percent.
The change in development to light industrial will reduce traffic impacts in the Northside as well because of less traffic and the need for parking.
The project’s fiscal impact remains strong, with projections indicating that Scheme C will generate up to $28.1 million annually in net revenue for the City’s General Fund upon completion.
“With this project, we will finish the live-work-play puzzle that we have been working on for decades,” said Mayor Lisa Gillmor.
Councilmember Albert Gonzalez, who represents the district the project is located, praised the developer. Related has spent significant time and money on the project despite difficult challenges like the pandemic and the collapse of retail.
“It’s challenging what they’ve had to go through to be in this position,” said Gonzalez. “And if they’re still here being resilient and being at the table and wanting to partner with us, I think it really shows something.”
Over a dozen public speakers showed up, with everyone supporting the Related project.
Former Santa Clara Police Chief Pat Nikolai called in to the meeting since he was out of town.
“This particular development transforms a former landfill that currently produces negligible income,” said Nikolai. “It becomes a revenue generator, exceeding $126 million annually for local jurisdictions … As your former Police Chief, I know how important this funding is for public safety and the future of Santa Clara.”
The vote was 4-3. Gillmor, Gonzalez, Vice Mayor Kelly Cox, and Karen Hardy voted yes.
Councilmembers Raj Chahal, Suds Jain, and Kevin Park voted no.
The BMX community requested and received a change to “Scheme C.” They will get 18 months’ advance notice for relocation instead of 12.
“FIFA president Gianni Infantino made the decision after the Club World Cup drew criticism”
By Sanjesh Singh • Published July 12, 2025 • Updated on July 12, 2025 at 5:24 pm
“After heat concerns dominated the U.S.-based Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said covered stadiums will be used at the 2026 World Cup.
“Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better,” Infantino said to reporters at a media conference in New York. “…Cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year.”
Off topic, but will FIFA 2026 be cancelled in 2026 in Santa Clara? Several news articles suggest so due to the extreme high heat concerns of the players union.
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/sports/soccer/2026-world-cup-games-covered-stadiums-heat/3884112/
Great news! It should have been a unanimous vote like Planning Commission. But the 3 stooges are still out to destroy the city. Glad a speaker called out the new district 1 council guy who is literally a ghost to all of us. But we know the 49ers bought him to show up and smile. All he did was parrot Hardy’s comments. Time to get off your katush, Pretty Boy. Otherwise people will start calling you the Tin Man. You know, the guy who only wanted a brain.
I find it ironic that at the beginning of this project, the existing “light industry” in the area was deemed obsolete and a blight to be torn down and replaced with “affordable” $5000+/month apartments (which it largely was) but now “light industry” is the savior of the project. Okay fine, but the light industry being proposed isn’t real light industry but rather synthetic light industry where the property is owned by some huge company and a bunch of banks. In real light industry (like in real housing), the property is owned by the occupant. The ownership is an important component of keeping wealth in the community rather than funneling it off to some massive distant entity whose only purpose is to repeat the process all over the country like a virus. That’s not progress kids. That’s a sad end game often orchestrated by people who claim they’re doing this to help “the little person”.
It makes me wonder why the 49ers don’t like it.
This is great news. I also spoke in support of the project and change last night. Now we can get it going. Thank you to Kelly, Mayor Gillmor, Karen, and Albert.