CITY OF SUNNYVALE
El camino real corridor specific plan and eir
2023 APA California Northern Section AWARD OF MERIT - Comprehensive Plan, Large Jurisdiction, El Camino Real Specific Plan
The El Camino Real Specific Plan (ECRSP) was adopted by the Sunnyvale City Council in June 2022 as a comprehensive update of the 1993 Precise Plan for El Camino Real. Although the Precise Plan received a significant update in 2007, the changing transit nature of El Camino Real (ECR) necessitated a reexamination and updating of the policies, land use mix, and implementation strategies for this 4-mile-long corridor across the city.
The ECRSP implements the Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI), a regional strategy to enhance the character of the ECR corridor the full length of the San Francisco Peninsula. The GBI provides the impetus for local jurisdictions to implement urban design and transit-focused land use improvements.
Early in the planning process for the Specific Plan, community workshop participants and ECRP Plan Advisory Committee (ECRPAC) members reconfirmed the existing strategy to focus development at four nodes that continue to be the focus of mixed-use development, and as a result, the ECRSP introduces standards to enforce a development typology that frames the sidewalk and public realm while placing vehicular parking behind the buildings or in structures.
As the ECRSP approaches the one-year mark, implementation of the Plan is happening on a variety of levels. Interest from residential developers has been expressed for market rate and affordable housing projects. Additionally, the Community Benefits program adopted as part of the ECRSP is implementing bicycle and pedestrian improvements that enhance the Plan Area and improve the multi-modal future envisioned for the corridor.