New housing project gets green light in Santa Clara, but some say it could’ve done more

NORTH SANTA CLARA is slated for more than a thousand new homes over the next few years, with whole neighborhoods under construction.

The Santa Clara City Council gave its final approval March 25 on a 25.7-acre development at 2518 Mission College Blvd. The project will bring in 1,792 apartments, 268 of which will be affordable to people earning below 100% of the area median income. It will consist of five 5-story buildings and feature a 4.2-acre public park and about 3,500 square feet of retail space.  Advocates said the amount of retail is insufficient for the number of residents who will live in the community and should be better balanced to include restaurants, cafes and service needs such as dry cleaners.