Seventy-six acres of office parks in northern Santa Clara have just been rezoned to add high density housing. The Santa Clara City Council voted unanimously this week to approve the Patrick Henry Drive Specific Plan, which changes the zoning of an area bounded by the Hetch Hetchy pipeline right-of-way to the north, Mission College on...
West San Jose six-story hotel approved on Winchester Boulevard
Despite fervent community opposition, a six-story hotel is coming to Winchester Boulevard in West San Jose. On Wednesday, plans for a 119-room hotel on a 0.69-acre parcel at 1212 S. Winchester Blvd. was approved at a Planning Director’s hearing. The approval includes the demolition of two single-story commercial buildings and nine trees. The proposal quietly...
Santa Clara’s biggest development slated to break ground this year
Related Santa Clara, an $8 billion development considered to be Silicon Valley’s biggest private mixed-use project, is set to finally break ground this year after facing delays related to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Like many large, mixed-use projects, the pandemic has pushed back our timetable, but (Related Santa Clara) is on track and expects to break...
San Jose sees barriers to building affordable housing
In an effort to ease barriers to affordable housing construction, San Jose is exploring taking steps to incentivize developers. On Tuesday, the City Council voted unanimously to accept recommendations based on interviews with seven developers and a detailed report highlighting three key barriers: construction costs, the permitting process and complying with development regulations such as...
San Jose nonprofit helps residents track redevelopment
Neighborhood leaders in the Diridon area have launched a nonprofit to keep some San Jose residents in the know about construction in their community. The group, Stakeholders + Neighborhoods Initiative, or S+NI, created an app and website where residents can track development plans and public meetings relevant to Google’s Downtown West campus and other projects. The Downtown West project will...
How is San Jose spending its Google money?
San Jose is spending millions from Google on economic recovery as the tech behemoth gets ready to start expanding into the city. On Tuesday, the City Council approved how to spend the $4.5 million Google is dispersing before construction on the Downtown West mega campus begins over the next 12-18 months. Of those funds, $3.25...
San Jose’s interim housing project at Evans Lane took six years
San Jose is searching for a developer to build permanent affordable housing at Evans Lane—six years after city leaders first approved homeless housing on the site. Records obtained by San José Spotlight show the city rejected an offer by a prominent South Bay developer to build the homes in 2016. It could have happened faster and...
Advocates push for more low-income housing in San Jose project
A developer is including minimal affordable housing in a San Jose project, and city officials and a community advocacy group are calling for more. Cambrian Village—an 18-acre mixed-use redevelopment of the beloved Cambrian Park Plaza in San Jose— will include 305 apartments, 48 single-family homes with 27 attached accessory dwelling units (ADU) and 25 townhomes....
New state law yields no housing projects in San Jose—yet
San Jose residents have yet to use a law that lets them build denser developments in single-family neighborhoods—at least for now. On Jan. 1, Senate Bill 9 went into effect across California. The law allows residents to subdivide lots to create up to four housing units per parcel. The San Jose City Council approved implementing the law last...
San Jose council considers cutting fees for downtown high-rise
The San Jose City Council is looking at cutting fees for a downtown high-rise, potentially saving the developer more than $4 million. Councilmembers will decide later this month whether to halve two construction taxes and waive the city’s Affordable Housing Impact Fee for The Carlysle—a proposed mixed-use tower at 51 Notre Dame Street. A Tuesday vote to...