Master Plan Begins 12-Month Due Diligence Process

A site plan shows the area to be developed for the civic center.

SAN JOSE—As part of an open and transparent development process, county staff, in coordination with the office of supervisor Cindy Chavez , district 2, hosted a public outreach meeting earlier this year to update the community about actions related to the master planning of Santa Clara County’s Civic Center . The board then held a public hearing for the community to provide feedback on a proposed ordinance that would allow the county to move forward with development. A master development agreement for the multi-phased planning and development of the 55-acre Santa Clara County Civic Center and the due diligence process is now underway. The board of supervisors approved the agreement with Lowe Enterprises , which was selected through a competitive public request for qualifications/request for proposal process. Lowe brings specific expertise in developing government and community-serving facilities to the project as it was the developer of the San Diego county operations center. “The development agreement is our first step toward creating a Santa Clara County Civic Center that will be a modern, efficient center for government services,” said president Dave Cortese , board of supervisors. “With the selection of Lowe Enterprises, we can now start the first stage of project development for a new and vibrant Santa Clara County Civic Center.” Lowe, in conjunction with Gensler Architects , will immediately begin the first phase of the development process with the creation of a master plan for the properties bounded by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s Guadalupe Maintenance Division to the north, Highway 87 to the west, North First Street to the east and Mission Street to the south. The master plan, which will be developed during an approximately 12-month period, will identify the size and location of all aspects of the civic center development, including government buildings, parking, and open spaces that will bring new uses to the civic center to complement and enhance the existing neighborhood. “Lowe will work with the county and the community to create a roadmap to guide the growth of the civic center that maximizes its service to the community. This may include the replacement of many outdated government facilities with new buildings as well as the consolidation of services. An evaluation will be done to assess the right master plan for the area and deliver a high-quality project in the most cost-effective way possible,” said Alan Chamorro , senior vice president, Lowe Enterprises. Guiding principles for the development state it must be designed and executed in a manner that is environmentally sensitive and increases the value of county-owned properties. “Our vision for the civic center is being developed through a transparent and inclusive public process with stakeholders and the surrounding community,” said Chavez. “In the long term, it is just good business sense for the county to own land instead of leasing it.” Concurrent with the master plan process, work will begin on the environmental review process, including the preparation of an environmental impact report, in compliance with CEQA guidelines. From May 2017 to April 2018, preliminary design and engineering will take place. Chamorro tells GlobeSt.com: “This is a tremendous opportunity to look at this 55-acre civic center site and create a new vision for its future. Among the objectives for this site is to create a modern and efficient campus for county government that is welcoming and accessible to the public, and to evaluate potential new uses that will be attractive to the community.” The board of supervisors has identified initial recommendations to help guide the master development agreement: Planning for public space on the civic center campus of approximately 1.15 million square feet, constituting approximately 23 acres for public uses, leaving an estimated 17 acres of land for possible revenue-generating purposes on land that the county would continue to own. Planning for the demolition of the west wing, connector and relocation of its occupants, the office of the district attorney, along with other law and justice administrative uses to new buildings on the Richey site, the former Army Reserve located at the corner of San Pedro and Hedding Streets. Planning for potential relocation of the remainder of the county administrative uses (not including the main jail or the courts) to the area north of Hedding Street, leaving a single block south of Hedding  for revenue-generating purposes on land the county would continue to own. Further exploration for either redevelopment/modernization or replacement of the east wing, for continued public use or private use, depending on the adopted campus site plan scenario. Relocation of the sheriff’s emergency vehicles operations center from the Richey site.