Welcome to the Northeast Area Specific Plan website for the City of San Carlos.
View the Public Draft of Northeast Area Specific Plan!
The Public Draft of the Northeast Area Specific Plan is now available for public review HERE. The Planning and Transportation Commission will also be providing input on the Public Draft at a study session on April 2, 2025 at 6pm. The feedback gathered from April 2nd meeting will be forwarded to the City Council for consideration at a future City Council study session. Following both meetings, City staff and the consultant team will continue to refine the Specific Plan in preparation for adoption.
Comments on the Public Draft may be directed to Rendell Bustos, Senior Planner, at advanceplanning@cityofsancarlos.org; or mailed to the San Carlos Planning Division at 600 Elm Street, San Carlos, CA 94070; or made in-person at the April 2nd Planning and Transportation Commission meeting or at the future City Council meeting.
Thank you for joining us on November 7, 2024 for a Virtual Community Workshop discussing key policies proposed for inclusion in the upcoming Draft Northeast Area Specific Plan.
This virtual Community Workshop was held on Thursday, November 7th, 2024, from 6:30pm - 8:00pm via Zoom. During the workshop, City staff and the consultant team presented key highlights that will be included in the upcoming Draft Northeast Area Specific Plan. Watch the recording of the workshop and find the summary of the feedback received HERE.
If you have any questions, please email advanceplanning@cityofsancarlos.org
City Council Endorses a Preferred Land Use Option for the Northeast Area Specific Plan
Following a recommendation by the Planning and Transportation Commission on January 16, 2024, On Monday February 12, City Council endorsed a revised draft Land Use Option and Urban Design Framework for the Northeast Area Specific Plan. This marks a major milestone in the specific plan process. The Northeast Area Specific Plan aims to create a vision, policies, and standards to guide new development in the northeast area of San Carlos in a way that supports existing and new businesses, residents, and the overall community.
As a next step, staff and the consultant team will start refining the preferred land use and urban design plan based on City Council’s input. The drafting of the specific plan, as well as environmental and technical analysis, will initiate. This will include traffic & circulation, mobility action plan, streetscape design, infrastructure, development & design standards, community benefits, and open space. All these efforts will work towards the development of the first draft of the Specific Plan, anticipated for completion in late Fall 2024. After conducting community engagement and gathering feedback on the draft Specific Plan, a revised draft Specific Plan will be developed in late Spring 2024. The final Specific Plan is planned for adoption in Summer 2025.
Have questions? Please contact the Advance Planning Division at advanceplanning@cityofsancarlos.org
Figure 1: Preferred Land Use Option for the Northeast Area Specific Plan
What is the study area for the Northeast Specific Plan, and why is it happening now?
Conceptual map of the Northeast Area Specific Plan in San Carlos
The City of San Carlos is currently creating the Northeast Area Specific Plan to guide anticipated change and new development in this area. See map of the Northeast Area Specific Plan here.
Over the last several years, the Northeast Area has received a lot of interest from developers who want to redevelop the area and build new buildings for life science and biotechnology companies. Because of this, the Northeast Area will likely see significant change from new development, and the City wants to thoughtfully plan for these anticipated changes.
The Specific Plan process is anticipated to wrap up in early 2025.
The Northeast Area, which has historically been referred to as the Harbor Industrial Area, was annexed into the City of San Carlos city limits in 1997. Since then, there have been very few changes to the area. The Northeast Area is defined as the area north of Holly Street, to the San Carlos city limits at Belmont Creek, and between Highway 101 and Old County Road.
