Campbell could add 40,000 homes — more than tripling the city’s current population — under a new state law aimed at boosting housing near public transit stations. The City Council is working on plans to manage the huge surge in potential development being triggered by Senate Bill 79. The bill, effective July 1, could massively...
Cupertino council declines to reconsider housing project
Cupertino officials have declined to reconsider approvals for an affordable housing development in light of an ongoing lawsuit from residents who claim the decision was rushed. The City Council on April 1 voted 4–1 against reconsidering the Mary Avenue Villas housing project, which the council previously approved in February. The lawsuit — filed March 11 against...
Cupertino council approves housing in high fire risk area
A Cupertino housing development proposed in a high fire risk area is moving forward despite resident concerns about evacuation safety and traffic congestion. The Cupertino City Council on Wednesday voted 4-1 to approve a 51-townhome project on a 2.5-acre site along Linda Vista Drive, where residents say limited evacuation routes could take more than an hour...
Santa Clara businesses sue over shopping center displacement
A once-busy Santa Clara shopping center home to Asian-owned businesses is now nearly empty — and multiple tenants are taking their former landlord to court as the property moves toward redevelopment. Two businesses at the Homestead Shopping Center — Tous les Jours bakery and Fuheng Herbs — have filed separate lawsuits alleging they have been...
Cupertino residents say housing project sits in risky wildfire zone
A controversial housing development in Cupertino is heading toward potential approval, as city officials weigh state housing mandates against resident concerns about wildfire risk and evacuation safety. The Planning Commission in February voted 3-2 to recommend the city move forward with a 51-townhome project on a 2.5-acre site along Linda Vista Drive — to the...
San Jose mayor touts 15-point housing plan for California
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan aims to stand out from the crowded field of California governor candidates with a statewide policy plan to speed up housing production. Advocates say there’s plenty to like — even if certain facets of the plan could cut funding to local public services. Mahan unveiled his 15-point plan March 5...
State grant opens door to housing for South Bay farmworkers
Farmworkers who have grappled to make ends meet while doing backbreaking labor to feed Bay Area communities will have a pathway to home ownership. Santa Clara County will use a $2.2 million grant from the state’s Farmworker Housing Grant program to provide loans for mortgage assistance so low-income, first time homebuyers can purchase manufactured homes....
Larger Whole Foods to open in Los Gatos
A new Whole Foods Market is about to open in Los Gatos, with amenities that include a spacious hot-food bar, indoor seating and a mural of local birds. Construction crews are busy installing interior fixtures at the 40,039-square-foot supermarket on Los Gatos Boulevard at the intersection of Los Gatos Almaden Road. The market is expected...
Cupertino council approves unique affordable housing project
A controversial nonprofit housing project in Cupertino that’s been under consideration for about 20 years has the green light to move forward. After a three-hour marathon of presentations and public comment Tuesday, the City Council voted 3-1-1 to narrowly approve a first-of-its-kind housing mix with 40 affordable apartments. Of those, 19 will be set aside...
San Jose wants industrial land exempt from housing law
With just five months before landmark housing legislation takes effect throughout California, San Jose officials are racing to exempt broad swaths of the city from the law. Sen. Scott Wiener’s Senate Bill 79, signed into law in October, aims to encourage denser housing construction around transit hubs. In San Jose, the law would cover 40,000...