These renderings are NOT what is being built. These ideas were not adopted and the actual design is VERY different from this. Please see the developer’s vision (The Core Companies) for the site here.
Imagine: six acres of mixed-use, mixed-income, multigenerational housing. An organic farm as its central plaza. A development for and by the community.
The City of Santa Clara has embarked on a Community Engagement Initiative to find ways to better vision the future of the city with the community. The even created a "placemaking" location on their website.
Project for Public Spaces has been engaged to look holistically at the City of Santa Clara on how to create great places. And there is a specific focus on looking at the 6-acre BAREC/Win6 site.
This is a very exciting time, where the City of Santa Clara has decided to deliberately invest in proactively looking at how to make their city greater than it is today. They are looking at how to change the conversation with community so that the discussions are on solutions, not simply resisting and denying change.
There are a few upcoming meetings to attend:
Tues, March 14 - 5-7pm (8pm if there is a lot of Q&A)
Change, Growth & Planning: Envisioning Santa Clara County 3.0 Land Use Workshop - with Don Weden
Location: Santa Clara City Council chambers, 1500 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara, CA
If you have not seen Don in action, you should try very hard to make it to this event; it may be the best 90+ minutes you will spend on anything related to land use and planning. Don Weden is that good. His perspective is objective and fact based. He will not speak to any one specific project, but will help set the stage for thoughtful future discussions on the many projects that face our region.
Fri, March 24 - 6-8pm
Placemaking - Creating the City of the Future
Location: Santa Clara University, Locatelli Center, 500 El Camino Real, Bldg 710, Santa Clara, CA
Project for Public Spaces (PPS) will present their organization and introduce themselves to the local community. Santa Clara has never engaged a placemaking team with a focus on people and creating great places across the City. It should prove to be special, exciting and inspiring. This is the City's kick-off event of their process.
Sat, March 25 - 9-11am
Visioning the BAREC/Win6 site
Location: Santa Clara Senior Center, 1303 Fremont St, Santa Clara, CA
PPS will lead and facilitate a hands-on visioning discussion on the BAREC/Win6 site that The Core Companies will be developing (90 N Winchester Blvd). Come help shape the future and dream/discuss what is possible.
The Proposal
The community has been exploring the idea of an #agrihood for a few years now. In August of 2015, the Santa Clara City Council reviewed a response to a request for ideas for the developing the 6-acre site. The Core Companies, a developer we have been working with that embraced the ideas and direction the community wanted, presented their ideas for a development direction. The City Council selected The Core Companies as the developer, but the project design has not started. The proposal ideas are being reviewed as a possible outcome, but the real work on looking at how this important piece of land sets the stage for how the area develops will begin soon. We are looking for extraordinary and progressive...and we need your help in making that happen.
You can review Core's proposal here. This is not a project design, just a starting point for discussion.
Citizens Coalition
This agrihood is based on the vision of South Bay citizens who are advocating for the sustainable and beautiful future of their communities.
If you live close by check out the Winchester Neighborhood Action Coalition (WNAC) to work with your neighbors to shape your neighborhood!
Regardless, we'd like to hear more from you, and build a human ecosystem committed to healthy, growing communities in the region that was once known as the Valley of Heart's Delight for its rich soil, fruit orchards and overall fecundity.
Farm to Table Heritage
Since 1928, the University of California has had an agricultural research farm (known as BAREC) on this site at Winchester Blvd and Forest Ave in Santa Clara, CA. The land was sold to the city about a decade ago, and six acres of the original 17 are still untouched.
By including agriculture in the development of the remaining six acres we can ensure this heritage lives on, and provide all the benefits that natural spaces provide.
