Wed, Jan 14, 2026·San Jose, California·Planning Commission

Planning Director Hearing (San José) — January 14, 2026

Discussion Breakdown

Land Use60%
Public Engagement30%
Environmental Protection10%

Summary

Planning Director Hearing (San José) — January 14, 2026

Hearing Officer Sylvia Doe convened the Planning Director hearing via Zoom, reviewed participation procedures and appeal rights, and addressed scheduling. The only substantive action was a staff-requested deferral of a tree removal permit; no other items were heard, and the meeting adjourned shortly after.

Deferrals

  • TR25-373 (Tree Removal Permit), 1489 Saratoga Avenue: Deferred to the January 21, 2026 Planning Director hearing.
    • Staff (Laura Miners, Planning Supervisor) stated the deferral was requested after coordination with the City Arborist and the applicant, and that neighbors who requested the hearing were informed via email.

Key Outcomes

  • Deferred Item 4A / TR25-373 to January 21, 2026 (per staff recommendation).
  • No consent calendar items and no public hearing items proceeded due to the deferral.
  • Meeting adjourned at 9:06 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. We are calling to order the Planning Director hearing of January 14, 2026. My name is Sylvia Doe 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 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 the 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 planning support staff identify your name to speak. During the meeting, you can also call 408-535-8517 or email planningsupportstaff at sanjoseca.gov and identify your name that's listed on Zoom, the 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 public 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 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 the 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 the 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 may 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 planning director's actions on the environmental review for the permits under the California Environmental Quality Act are separately appealable in accordance with the requirements of Title 21 of the Municipal 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 the removal from the meeting. The meeting of the director hearing will now come to order. Next part on our agenda is deferrals. Any item scheduled for hearing this morning for which deferral to a future meeting date is being requested will be moved to this portion of the agenda and considered on the matter of deferral. I will identify any items to be deferred and ask for comments from the audience. If you want to change any of the deferral dates or speak to the question of deferring these or any other items, please use the raise hand feature in Zoom or click star nine to raise your hand to speak. I will now open the public hearing.