The City of Santa Clara’s (City) goal for the Lawrence Station Area Plan (LSAP) is to incorporate higher-density residential and transit-supportive land uses at a 65-acre site adjacent to the Lawrence Caltrain station. The LSAP area will be redeveloped with a total of 3,500 dwelling units, 104,000 square feet of retail, and 6.3 acres of public open space to encourage multi-modal transportation and reduce automotive reliance.
Prior to the adoption of the LSAP, the City received three mixed-use development applications for individual projects within the LSAP area. To support these projects and simultaneously establish an overarching development plan for the area, Circlepoint prepared a joint programmatic/project-level environmental impact report (EIR). Circlepoint collaborated with the City and project applicants to clearly delineate project-specific impacts from impacts associated with future buildout of the LSAP.
Circlepoint prepared the EIR, managed public engagement activities, and published project informational materials for technical advisory groups and the broader community. Early in the outreach process, the Santa Clara County Roads and Airports Department raised concerns related to pedestrian crossing safety that would have limited land uses within large portions of the LSAP area. Circlepoint navigated this issue during the design and environmental review process, and the approved LSAP development plan and certified EIR included the allowable land uses envisioned by the City. Despite challenges that arose to align the short-term private development proposals with the City’s long-term goals, Circlepoint completed the LSAP EIR on time and within budget.
