With a federal immigration enforcement facility planned just beyond city borders, Gilroy officials are following the path taken by other Bay Area cities in attempting to restrict more projects from being built. The Gilroy City Council on Monday unanimously approved a temporary, 45-day ban on new detention facilities on public- or private-owned property, with the...
San Jose to create guidelines to prevent detention centers
San Jose is placing stronger controls on the development of private detention facilities within its borders in response to fears that the federal government may establish new immigration centers in the region. The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to place a 45-day moratorium on any proposal to create or expand detention facilities on private land...
Amazon data center project in Gilroy upsets locals
An Amazon data center under construction in Gilroy is frustrating a local transparency group and residents who are voicing concerns about the city’s lack of openness in allowing the project to move forward. Americans for Transparency, a grassroots initiative led by Gilroy resident Georgine Scott-Codiga, filed a formal demand of violations with Gilroy asking for an...
Housing planned for former San Jose school campus
A former South San Jose elementary school is poised to become housing. True Life Companies purchased Glider Elementary School, a 9.5-acre site, from Oak Grove School District to redevelop it with 80 homes — a combination of townhomes and single-family houses. The San Jose Planning Commission on Aug. 26 voted unanimously to recommend the project,...
Redevelopment plan draws backlash in South San Jose
Residents of a South San Jose neighborhood are organizing against plans to redevelop a single-family lot, accusing the developer behind the project of misusing state housing laws. Opponents fear the precedent the project might set if it’s allowed to move forward. An LLC linked to Redwood City-based development firm Samara has filed permit applications to demolish a...
Rezoning of San Jose IBM site raises environmental concerns
Residents are voicing concern about the rezoning of the former 35-acre IBM Almaden Research Center nestled in the rolling hills of South San Jose. They fear it will attract more data centers to the region. The San Jose City Council sees it differently and voted 9-2 to approve the industrial park rezoning on Aug. 18....
San Jose to boost housing density to meet state mandates
Residents on all sides of San Jose’s housing debate are spoiling for a protracted fight, after the City Council advanced a plan to increase density limits across the city’s sprawling single-family neighborhoods. The policy framework approved Tuesday in an 8-3 vote will guide deliberations over the coming year, as San Jose planners craft an update...
Affordable townhomes planned for East San Jose
A new East San Jose housing development is providing homeownership pathways for working families. For a place with a reputation as the least affordable city in the world to buy a home, AlphaX RE Capital is making housing affordable by providing below-market-rate townhomes for income-qualified households. The Kirk, an 18-home community at 125 Kirk Ave., offers interest-rate...
Santa Clara County affordable housing stuck in pipeline
Santa Clara County’s affordable housing projects funded by local dollars are stuck in a “logjam” struggling to secure other money needed to start construction. While the county has built more than 3,000 affordable homes over the past decade with Measure A, a $950 million bond approved by voters in 2016, 600 apartments and homes are stuck...
Santa Clara residents struggle with neighborhood parking
Santa Clara residents living along Calle Del Mundo and Calle De Luna say finding a place to park has become one of the neighborhood’s biggest challenges as development continues to reshape the city’s Clara District. After finishing late-night Uber shifts, 69-year-old Saiprakash Thirunagari often parks his car streets away from St. Anton Apartments because he can’t...