Grand Nexus & Feasibility Study

***NEWLY PUBLISHED DRAFT REPORTS AND UPCOMING MEETINGS BELOW***

Background:

Six jurisdictions in Santa Clara County are collaborating on an initiative to explore updates to and/or enact new affordable housing policies to be applied to new development. These policy studies will cover residential affordable housing impact fees, inclusionary requirements and in-lieu fees, and commercial linkage fees—with different jurisdictions opting into different components of the study.

The six jurisdictions participating in the study are Gilroy, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Mountain View, (City of) Santa Clara, and Sunnyvale. Some of these jurisdictions currently have affordable housing ordinances in place, and some are exploring them for the first time. Strategic Economics is performing the necessary nexus and feasibility studies to support this effort, and will be recommending updates to policies for the various communities in the fall of 2025. Community Planning Collaborative is facilitating coordination between the cities and Strategic Economics.

For any additional questions or comments, please email the team at stakeholderfeedback (at) strategiceconomics (dot) com

Community Planning Collaborative and Strategic Economics will host two virtual presentations to introduce the draft project reports and present key findings for each of the participating jurisdictions in the Santa Clara County Multi-Jurisdiction Affordable Housing Study. The presentation will cover studies performed for the following jurisdictions:

• Gilroy
• Los Gatos
• City of Santa Clara
• Sunnyvale

Interested parties will also have the opportunity to review and provide comment during each jurisdiction’s individual public process when they bring forward policies and ordinances for consideration. Please note that Mountain View and Los Altos Hills have also participated in the study, but the results of their specific affordable housing studies are still under review.

The meetings are scheduled for Tuesday, December 9th, from 11am to 12pm and on Wednesday, December 10th, from 6pm to 7pm. Both meetings will be identical in content presented.

Please use the following links to join us:

• Zoom link for Meeting on Tuesday, December 9th from 11am to 12pm
• Zoom link for Meeting on Wednesday, December 10th from 6pm to 7pm

Please email stakeholderfeedback (at) strategiceconomics (dot) com with any questions. We look forward to your attendance.

The public drafts of the SCC Grand Nexus and Feasibility Study are available for review and comment. Public drafts are available for the following jurisdictions:

• Gilroy
• Los Gatos
• City of Santa Clara
• Sunnyvale

Interested parties will have the opportunity to review and provide comment during each jurisdiction’s individual public process when they bring forward policies and ordinances for consideration. Please note that Mountain View and Los Altos Hills have also participated in the study, but the results of their specific affordable housing studies are still under review.

The studies include the following policies; however, the analyses and reports produced for each jurisdiction vary depending on the jurisdiction’s participation:

• A residential affordable housing impact fee that may be charged on new residential development to help fund affordable housing.
• An inclusionary affordable housing policy that may require certain residential developments to offer a percentage of the new housing units at a price that is affordable to households at specific income levels. These developments also generally have the option to pay a fee in lieu of the requirement.
• A commercial linkage fee that may be charged on new commercial development (office, life science and R&D, hotel, industrial, and/or retail) to help fund affordable housing.

Please use this form to provide your comments on the draft reports by 12/19/25.

Please email stakeholderfeedback (at) strategiceconomics (dot) com with any questions.

On February 25, 2025, the project team, Strategic Economics and Community Planning Collaborative, hosted a virtual affordable housing developers and advocates meeting to share the purpose and goals of the study, explain how the findings could be used to inform housing policy, and answer participant questions.

On March 24, 2025, the project team, Strategic Economics and Community Planning Collaborative, hosted a virtual public meeting to share the purpose and goals of the study, explain how the findings could be used to inform housing policy, and answer participant questions.

To view the Zoom recording of the public meeting, please use this link.

On May 29, 2025, the project team, Strategic Economics and Community Planning Collaborative, hosted the second virtual real estate industry stakeholder meeting to share the preliminary results, including the working assumptions about the financial feasibility of residential and commercial development.