Santa Clara Council Backs Smaller Agrihood Townhome Plan Over Staff Objections

Santa Clara's City Council chose a project it believes can get built over a bigger promise that has sat unbuilt since 2019. On Nov. 10, 2026, with Mayor Lisa M. Gillmor and Councilmember Kelly Cox absent, the council advanced 44 for-sale townhomes at Agrihood in place of 160 entitled apartments, rejecting denial recommendations from both staff and the Planning Commission. Members also voted to bring back a possible detention-center moratorium and to fund a dedicated sustainability manager.

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• Agrihood townhomes advance with one abstention, replacing 160 entitled apartments with 44 for-sale homes
• Affordable units at the site drop from 16 to 6, with a covenant of up to 45 years attached
• Detention-center moratorium heads to a future agenda after a unanimous vote
• Council adds a full-time Sustainability Manager, 4-0, to track Climate Action Plan goals

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Agrihood's Last Lot: Townhomes Over Apartments

The basics: A 2019 entitlement on a former city-owned parcel at 1816 Worthington Circle approved 165 senior affordable units, 36 market-rate townhomes, a farm, a cafe and a community kitchen. All of those were built. The 160 mixed-income apartments, 16 of them moderate-income, never were, and that 1.8-acre lot sits vacant.

Where things stand: Core Companies asked to rezone the lot from PD (planned development) to R-3 for 44 attached townhomes. Fifteen percent would be affordable: six moderate-income units plus an in-lieu fee for a 0.6-unit fraction. Three state density-bonus waivers would raise height from 40 feet to 41 feet, 6 inches and cut the front setback from 10 feet to 5 feet and the rear setback from 15 feet to 8 feet.

"Staff's recommendation is denial of the proposed rezone to R-3," said Afshan Hamid, Director of Community Development. She cited housing element policies for high-opportunity sites near transit. Under the plan, total units across the site fall from 361 to 245, and affordable units fall from 181 to 171. The Planning Commission recommended denial 6-1 on Oct. 7.

Approving fewer units "triggers an obligation for the city to figure out whether we'll still be able to hit our RHNA target," said Alexander Abbe, Assistant City Attorney. Santa Clara's state-assigned housing target is 11,632 units, with a 451-unit moderate-income buffer. The city attorney said either approval or denial would be legally valid.

The case for townhomes: "An entitlement does not equal housing production," said Vince Cantore, Senior Vice President, Core Companies. Tim Cornwell, Principal in Charge, The Concord Group, the applicant's market consultant, said hard costs have risen 35% to 40% since 2020. He put the cost to build at about $755,000 per home against a value of about $630,000.

IBEW Local 332, the South Bay Labor Council, Silicon Valley MEPS, the Bay Area Council, the Housing Action Coalition, farm operator Farmscape and several neighbors backed the project. Staff received 58 letters in support and nine opposed.

The other side: "This is a dense site that requires dense housing," said Alex Shore of Catalyze Silicon Valley, who suggested Core sell the land. Resident Jeff Houston urged the council to hold Core to its 160-home commitment or return the land. Opponent Kirk Vartan asked that any denial be issued "with prejudice," which would bar the developer from refiling right away. "A rezone is forever," he said. Senior resident Eric Olson and former tenant Catherine Lanning raised management and safety problems at the senior building.

On the dais, Councilmember Suds Jain asked, "So how are we going to get to 11,600 units?" He also pressed staff on affordability terms: for-sale units must stay affordable for five years under the city ordinance, compared with 55 years for rentals. Councilmember Kevin Park questioned waivers for "one of the few developers that's asking for less density."

Decisions and stakeholder impacts: Councilmember Karen Hardy moved to adopt the EIR addendum and approve the rezone and map. Her motion required an affordability covenant of up to 45 years, with resales limited to qualified buyers. The applicant accepted. "Having a lower density but for sale, I think, is a good middle ground," Hardy said. The motion passed with one abstention; the tally and the abstaining member were not announced. Building trades and would-be first-time buyers gain. The city's housing buffer shrinks.

What's next: Staff returns Dec. 1, 2026, with final resolutions and findings.

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Detention-Center Moratorium Moves Toward a Hearing

Where things stand: Vice Mayor Albert Gonzalez used a Council Policy 030 request, the process members use to put an item on a future agenda, to seek an urgency ordinance on a temporary moratorium on detention centers. Advocates asked the council to hear the item earlier in the meeting, and members took it up after Agrihood.

Why it matters: A field representative for Rep. Sam Liccardo presented a congressional toolkit that offers zoning-based options for setting standards on ICE detention facilities. "While local governments cannot prohibit federal activity outright, they can use their land use, public health, safety, environmental, and infrastructure authority," he said. He also listed jurisdictions that have already acted.

Stakeholders: Akemi of the Immigrant Protection and Empowerment Network called the item a simple request for staff to return. "ICE activity has increased dramatically in the county in the last few weeks," said Elisa German, trained responder, Rapid Response Network. A member asked that the toolkit be included in the future discussion.

Decisions: The motion carried unanimously, with Mayor Gillmor and Councilmember Cox absent.

What's next: No date has been set for the item.

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A Dedicated Climate Lead, at Last

Why it matters: The city's 2022 Climate Action Plan calls for "a near-term goal of achieving a 40% reduction in our GHG emissions by 2030 and then becoming a carbon-neutral city by 2045," said the Director of Economic Development and Sustainability. The city lost a previous sustainability staffer to budget cuts.

Where things stand: The new Division Manager will report to that director. A progress dashboard being built with Cascadia Consultants is due in January or February. Councilmember Jain, who requested the item, said earlier hires lacked dedicated budget. He suggested Silicon Valley Power funds could help cover the post. "So it's essential that we have somebody dedicated because it's a big job," he said.

Resident Elaine Lee said the dashboard has been delayed for years. "A full-time dedicated sustainability manager will help avoid further delays in tracking our progress against the CAP," she said. Houston also supported the position.

Decisions: For: 4, Against: 0. Mayor Gillmor and Councilmember Cox were absent.

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Minor Items

• Consent calendar: Passed unanimously with no items pulled. It includes a $3,791,855, 10-year cQuant.io deal, up to $5M in Silicon Valley Power IT contracts, $847,496 in Anixter orders, and up to $15M in Levi's Stadium design contracts.
• Salary plans: Adopted 4-0. Units 9 and 9A get a 3% cost-of-living raise and Unit 9B gets 4%, effective Dec. 20, to keep CalPERS and SB 707 compliance.
• JustServe: The council unanimously approved a volunteerism proclamation and joined the free JustServe platform, so city departments can post volunteer openings.
• China trip questions: A public commenter who identified as a Santa Clara Unified board member asked who authorized and funded the absent members' China travel. The commenter also urged a written travel policy. Those claims were not confirmed at the meeting.
• Proclamations: The council recognized Sikh Awareness and Appreciation Month, as well as Hangul Day and Korean National Foundation Day.

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Looking Ahead

The Agrihood findings return Dec. 1, 2026. Mayor Gillmor and Councilmember Cox are expected back Nov. 17, when they may report out on their trip. Pruneridge Place Homeowners Association President Dirk Spies signaled opposition to The Greens project, arguing that the site's open-space easement cannot be amended.