On Tuesday, March 7, Santa Clara City Council will consider another proposed housing development on El Camino Real, after losing two such developments in the last year.

The development up for consideration on Tuesday is a 5-store mixed-use building with 151 apartments at 10,000 square feet of retail, at 2232-2240 El Camino Real near El Camino and Scott, on the VTA 522 Rapid line, one rapid bus stop away from Santa Clara Caltrain. The Summerhill development does not include below market rate housing, which can’t be legally required for rental housing by state law.

Planning Commission comments requested the city to develop a policy for voluntary 10% target for below market rate housing, even as the city works to set fees that could be used to negotiate for included affordable apartments.

This development is being considered just two weeks after another developer, Prometheus, pulled its 158-unit project on El Camino Real in Santa Clara between Lawrence and Wolfe, on the former “Moonlite Lanes” bowling site, right as City Council was to review that project for final approval on February 21.  At that city council meeting, Council members commended residents for their active engagement to oppose the housing development.

And it was less than a year ago that Santa Clara lost yet another housing/mixed use development, right across from the Caltrain station and proposed future BART station.  That project was pulled by Irvine, after community opposition reduced the size of that development from 450 apartment units, to 370, to 318.   Within that development, 10 percent of the units were required to be provided at below market rate.

Santa Clara is eager to see BART extended to Santa Clara, duplicating a segment of the Caltrain line, and transit-oriented development would be part of the case to fund a new station.