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Record of Proceedings

San Jose Planning Director Hearing Approves Western Digital Planned Development Permit - September 18, 2026

Planning Commission — Friday, September 18, 2026
BodySan Jose, California
SessionPlanning Commission
DateFriday, September 18, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 34:08

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:01

Good morning.

0:02

It is 9 o'clock a.m.

0:04

and we are calling to order the planning director hearing of September 9th, 2026.

0:09

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.

0:20

This meeting is being held via Zoom conference call.

0:24

Members of the public may participate by following the instructions listed on page two of the agenda.

0:30

If you would like to provide public comment, you have two methods to do so.

0:35

For participants who join 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 9 on their phone.

0:50

Remember to keep your raised hand feature on until planning support staff identify your turn to speak.

0:57

During the meeting, you could also call 4085 8517 or email planning support staff at San Jose CA.gov and identify your name that is listed on Zoom, the phone number that you'll call into Zoom with, and what item or items you would like to comment on.

1:21

All members of the public will remain on mute until the individual identifies they would like to speak and they are unmuted.

1:28

Planning support staff will identify you by name when it is your turn to speak.

1:33

At that time, you will be unmuted and can provide public comment for the allotted time.

1:38

If you exceed your allotted time, you may be muted so we can move on to the next speaker.

1:43

Please note the following.

1:45

The hearing procedure and order of input will be as follows.

1:48

I will first identify each project as described on the agenda.

1:52

For those items on the consent calendar, I will ask if anyone wishes to speak on the item.

1:58

If a separate discussion is warranted, I will move the item to the public hearing portion of the agenda.

2:04

If a separate discussion is not needed, the item will remain on the consent calendar for approval.

2:10

For those items listed under public hearing, I will ask staff to provide a brief report.

2:15

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.

2:24

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.

2:36

All members of the public should identify their name for the record, although it is not required.

2:41

Following comments from the public, the applicant may make additional remarks for up to five minutes.

2:46

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.

2:56

I will then take action on the item.

2:58

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.

3:12

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.

3:21

The planning director's actions on the permits are appealable in accordance with the requirements of Title 20 of the Municipal Code.

3:29

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.

3:40

Before we begin, I want to remind members of the public to follow our code of conduct at meetings.

3:46

This includes commenting on the specific agenda item only.

3:50

Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with the hearing officer or staff.

3:56

The hearing officer, staff, and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language.

4:01

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.

4:11

This meeting of the director hearing will now come to order.

4:16

On to the next order of business, which is agenda item two, deferrals.

4:21

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.

4:30

I will identify any items to be deferred and ask for comments from the audience.

4:35

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 raised hand feature in Zoom or click star 9 to raise your hand to speak.

4:46

I will now open the public hearing.

4:48

And there are no items proposed for deferral this morning.

4:52

Are there any members of the public who would like to speak to the matter of deferrals?

4:56

If so, now's your opportunity to raise your hand in Zoom or click star 9 on your phone.

5:04

Okay.

5:05

Seeing no hands raised in Zoom, the matter of deferrals is now closed.

5:09

And we'll move on to the third portion of the agenda, the consent calendar.

5:13

There will be no separate discussion of individual consent calendar items as they are considered to be routine and will be considered in one action unless an item is moved to the public hearing calendar for separate discussion by the hearing officer.

5:26

The public may comment on the entire consent calendar and any items removed from the consent calendar by the hearing officer.

5:33

If you wish to speak on one of these items, please use the raise hand feature in Zoom or click star and I'm to raise your hand to speak.

5:41

And for today, we have only one item on the consent calendar.

5:45

That's item 3A, file number 25-027, which is a plan development permit for project located at 5601 Great Oaks Parkway.

5:56

If any members of the public would like to speak on this item, now is your opportunity to raise your hand.

6:02

Okay, I see one hand raised from the member of the public.

6:09

And if I can just get a nod from the uh planning project manager that this is a member of the public and not the applicant team.

6:18

Yes, uh, he is uh not part of the applicant's team.

6:22

Thank you.

6:23

Okay, we got it.

6:24

So then we will go ahead and move item 3a to the public hearing portion of the agenda then.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████31%
Public Comment██████████████████████22%
Urban Planning█████████████████████21%
Urban Forestry█████████████████████21%
Public Works█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

San Jose Planning Director Hearing Approves Western Digital Planned Development Permit - September 18, 2026

The San Jose Planning Director hearing convened via Zoom at 9:00 a.m. and adjourned at 9:34 a.m. Hearing Officer Sylvia Doe presided, acting on behalf of Director of Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Christopher Burton. The raw transcript identifies the hearing date as September 9, 2026, while the date supplied for this summary is September 18, 2026. The only agendized matter was a planned development permit at 5601 Great Oaks Parkway. No deferrals were requested.

Deferrals

  • No items were proposed for deferral; the public hearing on deferrals was opened and closed with no speakers.

Consent Calendar

  • Item 3A, File No. 25-027, Planned Development Permit for 5601 Great Oaks Parkway, was the sole consent calendar item. After a public commenter asked to speak, Hearing Officer Doe moved the item to the public hearing portion for separate discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Jordan Mulnow, a San Jose resident, expressed concern about the removal of mature trees along the pedestrian pathway. He understood the stated need for access to the tank farm and Building 06 parking lot, but questioned whether the new roadway had to run all the way through; he suggested considering a road in only two of three segments and preserving the pedestrian path in the densest tree area.
  • Lillian (last name not provided) agreed with Mulnow and opposed the removal of mature trees. She criticized the loss of mature trees and said replacement box trees and gallon trees can be easily removed, urging the city and planning commission to stop such removals and preserve existing mature trees.

Discussion Items

  • Planning Project Manager Rina Shah reported that the proposed PD permit would authorize modifications to vehicle circulation, pedestrian pathways, landscaping, stormwater control plan, site lighting, a 64-square-foot utility shed, and the removal of 41 trees. The work is on an approximately 5.7-acre portion of an approximately 142-acre Western Digital industrial campus and includes no vertical construction or new buildings. The 142-acre parcel is the remainder of a 157.4-acre parcel approved with Tentative Map 2026-006 on August 12, 2026. The site is bounded by Carl Road, Great Oaks Boulevard, Highway 85, and Perimeter Road, with residential, park, and highway uses nearby. It is in the IPPD Planned Development Zoning District and is consistent with the General Plan Industrial Park designation. Outreach included an on-site sign posted June 15, 2026, and notice within 500 feet. Staff determined a CEQA exemption under Guidelines Section 15301 and recommended approval.
  • Applicant representative Jason Victor, joined by David Curry of Western Digital, described the campus context, including the 2005 downsizing of the campus and new headquarters buildings. He said Western Digital identified about 15 acres on the western perimeter to make available to another industrial user, and that a separate data center permit has been submitted for planning review. The PD permit under consideration would update circulation along the campus edge and add pedestrian enhancements, pickleball courts, expanded garden and outdoor areas, and landscape screening.
  • Victor said 41 trees will be removed, most in the pedestrian and emergency service corridor. He said 90 trees exist in that corridor and about half will be removed. He stated that a continuous circulation loop was studied and determined necessary for service access, tank farm access, parking lots, and emergency vehicles. Replacement planting would include Chinese elms and oak species such as fork oak and California live oak.
  • Rina Shah responded to public concerns by citing San Jose Municipal Code Chapter 13.32 tree removal findings. She said the arborist report found structural issues in some trees, including uneven canopies, multi-trunk and co-dominant stems, and lack of structural stability. She stated the total replacement requirement as 132 15-gallon-equivalent trees, citing 26 ordinance-sized non-native trees requiring 104 15-gallon trees and 13 non-ordinance-sized trees requiring 26 15-gallon trees. The project plants 69 24-inch box trees and 61 15-gallon trees, exceeding the stated replacement requirement.
  • Hearing Officer Doe asked about replacement species. Victor explained that many existing canopies along the corridor would be retained, and new trees would include faster-growing Chinese elms and native oaks with larger canopies that have proven successful on campus.

Key Outcomes

  • Hearing Officer Doe approved the Planned Development Permit for Item 3A, File No. 25-027, as recommended by staff and in accordance with CEQA. The environmental exemption was based on CEQA Guidelines Section 15301.
  • Doe found the project consistent with the General Plan and planned development zoning, and noted that the proposal is limited to site landscaping, circulation, and outdoor amenity improvements for the existing industrial campus. She cited the larger 24-inch box trees being planted from the outset, the faster-growing, native, large-canopy replacement species, and preservation of existing healthy mature trees to the extent possible.
  • The approval will be final when the permit is signed and mailed unless appealed. Permit actions are appealable under Title 20 of the San Jose Municipal Code; environmental review determinations are separately appealable under Title 21.
  • The hearing was adjourned at 9:34 a.m.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. It is 9 o'clock a.m. and we are calling to order the planning director hearing of September 9th, 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 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 join 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 9 on their phone. Remember to keep your raised hand feature on until planning support staff identify your turn to speak. During the meeting, you could also call 4085 8517 or email planning support staff at San Jose CA.gov and identify your name that is 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 first 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 removal from the meeting. This meeting of the director hearing will now come to order. On to the next order of business, which is agenda item two, 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 raised hand feature in Zoom or click star 9 to raise your hand to speak. I will now open the public hearing. And there are no items proposed for deferral this morning. Are there any members of the public who would like to speak to the matter of deferrals? If so, now's your opportunity to raise your hand in Zoom or click star 9 on your phone. Okay. Seeing no hands raised in Zoom, the matter of deferrals is now closed. And we'll move on to the third portion of the agenda, the consent calendar. There will be no separate discussion of individual consent calendar items as they are considered to be routine and will be considered in one action unless an item is moved to the public hearing calendar for separate discussion by the hearing officer. The public may comment on the entire consent calendar and any items removed from the consent calendar by the hearing officer.

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