Campbell considers 100 homes at former mental health facility

A Campbell housing development near the main post office could add more than 100 homes to a quiet, suburban neighborhood, stirring up concerns about an influx of new residents.

The Campbell Planning Commission unanimously approved a 108-home development located at 251 Llewellyn Ave. on Tuesday. Georgia-based PulteGroup, Inc. will develop the potential three-story project on a roughly 5.6-acre site, which could include 90 townhome-style condos and 18 detached single-family homes.

The development also includes 16 affordable homes, meeting the city’s mandate that 15% of new housing developments with 10 or more homes be affordable. Roughly seven of those homes will be dedicated to low-income households, with the remaining nine for moderate-income households. The project needs approval from the Campbell City Council, which will review the proposal at its July 16 meeting. If approved, PulteGroup plans to begin construction late this summer or early this fall. It is unclear when construction will be finished.

Some residents such as Steven Barnett, 81, are worried about the construction noise and increased traffic the project will create in the quiet residential enclave.

Barnett moved into his home on the cul de sac across the street from the project site in 1970. He said unlike some of his neighbors, he didn’t receive a letter with information about the project from PulteGroup in the mail and only found out about it this week. He would prefer a more downsized plan, but said he understands the needs for development and affordable housing as a retired high school physical education teacher.

“Will it affect me a whole lot if they get it done? That’s life, you know,” he told San José Spotlight. “If I had a choice, I’d say no just because I know the traffic area’s gonna be (bad) but I’ve seen the growth (of the neighborhood).”

PulteGroup did not respond to requests for comment.

The development could also displace Pacific Clinics, a behavioral health services provider, which provides a mobile crisis unit at the existing location and will relocate elsewhere. The provider is supportive of the move.

The current tenant is just one of  several service providers that has operated at the location. For years Uplift Family Services, formerly EMQ FamilesFirst, provided mental health treatment programs for children, until it merged with Pacific Clinics in 2022.

Construction will be completed over two phases to accommodate Pacific Clinics’ move, building 70 condos and all single-family homes in the first phase and finishing the remaining 20 condos — where the provider is — in phase two.

The development was proposed as a potential housing site about two years ago, in accordance with the city’s housing goals mandated by the state. Campbell has to add at least 2,977 homes by 2031 to meet state housing requirements, but aims to accommodate 3,870 homes, 1,542 of which will be deemed affordable for low-income residents.

Campbell resident Andressa Hernandez, 33, has rented her home near the project site for three years. She received a letter informing her of the development and said she’s concerned about the small number of affordable homes planned. She said the influx of residents could exacerbate traffic, especially because she has already seen people disobey nearby stop signs, but she could support it if it downsized.

“I think it’s weird,” she told San José Spotlight. “If the goal was to have more affordable houses, it’s kind of not ideal, especially with the impact (of) the density.”

Other areas of Campbell are beginning to see change too. The city council approved a 47-home mixed development housing project along Gilman Avenue last month, and a six-story affordable housing development being built in San Jose butts up against Campbell residents’ fences.

Campbell Community Development Director Rob Eastwood said the more development in the city, the better.

“I hope (PulteGroup) builds as soon as possible,” he told San José Spotlight. “If we can get more housing faster in Campbell, that’s a good thing.”

Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.