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...
Santa Clara County plans Major League cricket stadium at fairgrounds
Santa Clara County is moving forward with plans to build a cricket stadium at the county fairgrounds. The county and Major League Cricket (MLC) announced an exclusive negotiating agreement Wednesday to move forward with lease negotiations and design approvals for a 15,000-person stadium planned to sit on 14-acres of the fairgrounds. A statement from the...
UPDATE: Developer drops proposal for 6-story hotel on Winchester Boulevard
A controversial plan for a 6-story hotel on Winchester Boulevard in San Jose will not move forward after strong opposition from nearby residents. On Tuesday, councilmembers unanimously approved rezoning a 0.69-acre parcel at 1212 S. Winchester Blvd. from residential to commercial development, but rejected a plan to build a 119-room hotel on the plot. The...
Santa Clara County housing bond on track despite roadblocks, civil grand jury says
A Civil Grand Jury says Santa Clara County’s $950 million housing bond is working as promised, giving it an “A” rating in a recent report—despite the small number of low-income homes built since its approval. Measure A, passed by 68% of voters in 2016, will provide funding to build 4,800 affordable homes across the county over approximately a...
Major Silicon Valley developments to watch in 2022
The pandemic couldn’t stop the steady march of development in San Jose in 2021. Tech campuses, high-rise towers and affordable housing are all in the works for next year and beyond. Here are a few of the biggest projects to watch in 2022: Google’s downtown dream Earlier this year, San Jose lawmakers approved Google’s plan to...
Labor group demands more records in lawsuit against San Jose
A labor organization suing San Jose for public records has expanded its suit. It wants to determine if the city singled out a compliance director for trying to get information about a public works project. The South Bay Piping Industry Labor Management Trust filed an amended lawsuit last week in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The original suit...
Smaller construction projects covered under San Jose labor agreement
San Jose is expanding a labor agreement to smaller public works projects, raising questions about how the city measures worker protections against business interests. The City Council voted last week 8-3 to approve amendments to San Jose’s Project Labor Agreement (PLA), which applies rules about working conditions and the type of labor that can be...