Organic farm, community gardens, Santa Clara Valley's native oak woodland and grassland plant communities in harmony with seniors, veterans, residents and the community.

 
 
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On April 30, 2015, The Core Companies (Core) submitted a proposal to Santa Clara’s Request for Proposal (RFP) and many of the Win6 Village ideas, principles and goals were included! Win6 Village is a community-supported partnership of concerned citizens that developed a vision for what they would most desire in this neighborhood.

The Core Companies proposal includes low-income senior housing with priority for veterans,  plus mixed income in the market rate apartment complex, a 1.6 acre urban farm, a half-acre of open space and common area, and a dozen programs that will highlight urban agriculture programs and partners.

Core partnered with the California Native Garden Foundation (CNGF) to create and manage the agricultural components of the site, providing for long term stewardship of the land. What a great partnership--a community developer working with a local horticulturist to create a Santa Clara Agrihood. If selected, Core and CNGF will create a model for healthy land use right here in Santa Clara Valley, in the middle of the ever increasing retail and commercial area bordered by Valley Fair Mall and Santana Row Mall. The future for an extraordinary walkable, human-scale experience is near and we all can encourage its creation.

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The CORE/CNGF proposal is only one of 8 submitted proposals.

It is possible that other developers have incorporated some aspects of the Win6 Village vision that we are not aware of at the time of writing. 

We believe The Core/Companies/CNGF proposal should be supported because their proposal meets the stated criteria in the City's RFP and they have committed to flexibility for incorporating community input into their final plan that would then be processed through the city's re-zoning process.

City Staff will be reviewing the submitted proposals independent of any public outreach or feedback. So, I encourage you to let your City Council know that you support proposals that include innovation, mixed income (not just market rate and low income seniors), intergenerational living, an urban farm with heart and soul, significant public open space, and making sure the developer selected is flexible and progressive enough to incorporate community ideas after the Council makes the formal selection.

Santa Clara City Staff is scheduled to make a recommendation to the City Council on developer selection on September 22, 2015. Please reserve this date as the Santa Clara City Council will want to hear from you. 

 

 

 

 

 

PROPOSED AGRIHOOD AT A GLANCE

Location – Santa Clara, CA
Low-Income Seniors – 165
Total Residents – 400
Design –  The Core Companies
Farm Partner – California Native Garden Foundation
Farm and Open Space – 1.6 acre farm, 0.5 open space commons

ACTIVITIES

Healthy Living

Diversified Farming

Horticultural Therapy for seniors, special needs immigrants, veterans, persons with anxiety disorder or PTSD, and general community

Freshest, Local Food Production and Shopping

Community Gatherings featuring local chefs, nutritional education, sustainability modeling

AMENITIES

165 Low-Income Senior Units
Additional Market Rate Units
1.6 Acre Working Urban Farm
Aquaponic Rooftop Gardens
Walkable Open Space

Later possibilities*:

  • Car Share Fleet
  • Daily Farmers Market
  • Food Emporium (butcher, baker, herbalist, etcetera)
  • Demonstration Kitchen (for cooking classes) and Commercial Kitchen (for artisanal, cottage food producers)
  • Sustainability Technology Incubator (for green businesses from solar to ag tech) 
  • All-ages Makerspace for exploring and experimenting with D.I.Y. crafts and tinkering

* Assumes mixed-used zoning