Planning Director Hearing Approves 15 Concerts at PayPal Park - November 21, 2025
Planning Director Hearing Approves 15 Concerts at PayPal Park - November 21, 2025
The November 21, 2025 Planning Director Hearing (delegated by Director Christopher Burton, presided by Hearing Officer Ruth Gueto) addressed three consent calendar items and one public hearing item. The main item was a planned development permit amendment to allow up to 15 concerts per year at PayPal Park. After staff presentations, applicant remarks, and public testimony from both supporters and opponents, the hearing officer approved the amendment with conditions.
Consent Calendar
- Item 3A (SP24-041/ER24-274) – Special use permit for an aircraft hangar addition at 1210 Aviation Avenue: Dropped to be renoticed for mid-January due to fee payment issues.
- Item 3B (T25-018/ER25-134) – Vesting tentative map to subdivide one lot into two condominiums at 365 Nature Court: Approved.
- Item 3C (V25-001/ER25-102) – Development variance for setbacks at 0 Willow Glen Way: Approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Supporters: John Poach (San Jose Sports Authority), Dan Orloff (San Jose resident and event producer), Rob Lindo (San Jose Chamber of Commerce Board Chair), Frank Guerrero (San Jose resident), Kat Angelov (San Jose Chamber of Commerce), and Matthew Martinucci (Visit San Jose) spoke in favor, citing economic benefits, community visibility, and alignment with major events like the FIFA World Cup.
- Opponents/Concerned: Matthew Bright (Newhall neighborhood) argued the noise study is flawed, proposed mitigation is insufficient, and lacks ongoing monitoring (only first two concerts validated, 0% of subsequent events monitored). John Urban (Newhall Neighborhood Association, 30-year resident) requested monitoring for every event, noting Levi’s Stadium has such a process. Bob Edmonds (Newhall neighborhood) asked to defer the decision for better mitigation measures.
Discussion Items
- Item 4A (PDA 11-002-02/ER25-039) – Proposed amendment to allow up to 15 concerts per year at PayPal Park (1123 Coleman Avenue). Staff (Cameron Gee, Court Hitchens) presented the project, noting the CEQA addendum, a noise study by Illingsworth & Rodkin, a September 15 community meeting, and outreach. They stated that the 2010 EIR had already accepted potential significant unavoidable noise from concerts, and the proposed mitigation would keep noise at or below ambient levels (~60 dB), lower than previously approved. Applicant representative Eric Schenauer emphasized economic development, thoroughness of the noise study (including simulations with multiple music genres), and conditions for validation studies for the first two concerts facing the neighborhood. He noted that staff recommended an annual noise report for all concerts and quarterly community meetings. In response to a question from the hearing officer, the applicant agreed to share the annual noise report with the neighborhood at the quarterly meetings.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar: Item 3A dropped for renoticing; Items 3B and 3C approved.
- Public Hearing Item 4A: Approved. The hearing officer acknowledged neighborhood concerns but found them adequately addressed by staff’s analysis, the noise assessment, and conditions of approval. She cited the city’s economic development goals and the 2010 City Council’s statement of overriding considerations as supporting the decision.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. We are calling to order the planning director hearing of November 19, 2025. My name is Ruth Gueto, and I am the hearing officer for today's agenda on behalf of and delegated by the director of planning, building, and code enforcement, Christopher Burton. This meeting is being held via Zoom conference call. Members of the public may participate by following the instructions listed on page two of the agenda. If you would like to provide public comment, you have two methods to do so. For participants who joined electronically and have audio input available on their computer or smartphone, they can use a raised hand feature in Zoom during the agenda item they would like to speak to or click star nine on their phone. Remember to keep your raised hand feature on until the planning support staff identify your turn to speak. During the meeting, please call 408-535-8512 or email planningsupportstaff at sanjosaca.gov and identify your name that is listed on Zoom, phone number that you'll call into Zoom with, and what item or items you would like to comment on. All members of the public will remain on mute until the individual identifies they would like to speak, and they are unmuted. Planning support staff will identify you by name when it is your turn to speak. At that time, you will be unmuted and can provide comment for the allotted time. If you exceed your allotted time, you may be muted so we can move on to the next speaker. Please note the following. The hearing procedure and order of input will be as follows. I will identify each project as described on the agenda. For those items listed on the consent calendar, I will ask if anyone wishes to speak on the item. If a separate discussion is warranted, I will move the item to the public hearing portion of the agenda. If a separate discussion is not needed, the item will remain on the consent calendar for approval. For those items listed under public hearing, I will ask staff to provide a brief report. The applicant or their representative who wishes to speak on the item will have up to five minutes to speak and should identify themselves by stating their name for the record. After the applicant or their representative has spoken, any member of the public who wishes to speak on the item may provide testimony up to two minutes per speaker, either for or against the project. All members of the public should identify their name for the record, although it is not required. Following comments from the public, the applicant may make additional remarks for up to five minutes. I will then close the public hearing and I may ask staff to answer questions, respond to comments made by the applicant or the public, or further discuss the item. I will then take action on the item. If you challenge these land use decisions in court, you will be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at this public hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the city at or prior to the public hearing. The planning director's actions on agenda items will be final when the permit is signed and mailed, unless the permit or the environmental clearance determination is appealed. The planning director's actions on the permits are appealable in accordance with the requirements of Title 20 of the Municipal Code, the Zoning Ordinance. The planning director's actions on the environmental review for the permits under the California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, are separately appealable in accordance with the requirements of Title 21 of the Municipal Code. the Environmental Clearance Code. Before we begin, I want to remind members of the public to follow our code of conduct at meetings. This includes commenting on the specific agenda item only. Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with the hearing officer or staff. The hearing officer, staff, and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language. Repeated failure to comply with the code of conduct, which will disturb, disrupt, or impede the orderly conduct of this meeting may result in removal from the meeting. This meeting of the director hearing will now come to order. We will begin today's meeting. Thank you. Let's see. With the consent calendar. We do not have any current items on deferral, but I will move to item 3A first, SP24-041 and ER24-274, a special use permit to allow an approximately 28,235 square foot addition to an existing aircraft hangar and office facility on an approximately 7.09 gross acre site. The project includes minor site improvements, including the removal of four non-ordinance sized trees, new landscaping and construction of a new trash enclosure located at 1210 Aviation Avenue. The CEQA is an addendum to the amendment to the San Jose Mineta International Airport Master Plan Final Environmental Impact Report. staff recommendation is to consider the addendum to the amendment to the San Jose Mineta International Airport master final environmental impact report I see staff has their hand raised Alec yes thank you hearing officer Alec Atienza the planning project manager
openpublica.com