It’s going to be a lot harder to protest new housing in the West Valley. West Valley residents and municipalities will have a difficult time fighting contentious housing projects using the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), thanks to two new bills that became law last month: Senate Bill 131 and Assembly Bill 130. The legal...
Downtown Santa Clara revitalization slow to start
Santa Clara’s neglected downtown took a key turn toward revitalization in 2023, but there’s been little movement since. Market conditions and complex policies have slowed the progress since its approval. Frustrated residents want Santa Clara to move on developing six acres owned by the city as identified in the Downtown Precise Plan. The other 21...
Long-delayed Santa Clara project cuts office space
The behemoth development across the street from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara has received a key nod from city officials to help it move forward. The City Council approved a general plan change for Related Santa Clara to rezone about 98 acres of office space to light industrial in the 240-acre project. The vote was split...
Downtown San Jose nightclubs operating without permits
Downtown nightlife venues with ties to San Jose’s political elite have flouted city regulations by staying open past midnight without permits for more than a year — incensing other nightclub owners who pay steep to play by the rules. San Pedro Social and Kaizen Lounge in downtown San Jose have operated without conditional use permits...
New building reforms change pace of San Jose development
San Jose officials are celebrating the rollback of a long-standing environmental law, which has been a hurdle for housing production. Gov. Gavin Newsom on June 30 signed two bills, Senate Bill 131 and Assembly Bill 130, which bring significant reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) — allowing many developments to circumvent an environmental...
Sunnyvale’s retail protection plan falls short
One of Sunnyvale’s proposals to build more housing threatens to demolish several grocery stores, and city fixes haven’t patched the problem. The Sunnyvale City Council unanimously approved an overhaul of the Village Center Master Plan Tuesday. The new plan redefined how seven aging retail spaces, called village centers, will be zoned for commercial, residential and...
San Jose to add more multifamily affordable housing
The construction of nearly 200 affordable apartments will break ground next month in South San Jose. San Jose City Council unanimously approved a $73.7 million multifamily housing revenue bond on June 10 to close the remaining gap needed to finance the $160-million affordable housing development with developer Affirmed Housing. The 191-apartment complex will be 100% affordable...
Hundreds of affordable homes proposed for North San Jose
A proposal for 780 affordable homes next to Topgolf in North San Jose could be the city’s largest rent-restricted housing complex. The San Jose Planning Commission held a public hearing Wednesday for Alviso neighborhood residents living near a proposed 100% affordable housing project by developer Cloud Apartments at 7 Topgolf Drive. Housing advocates with organizations...
San Jose loans $72M for affordable housing project
San Jose officials are loaning a multifamily housing developer tens of millions of dollars in an effort to create more affordable housing. The City Council voted unanimously June 17 to approve loans totaling $72.5 million to nonprofit Community Development Partners to build an affordable housing 160-apartment complex at 525 N. Capitol Ave., of which a...
East San Jose cultural district nets $50K grant
The School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza is gearing up to launch San Jose’s first distinct cultural district. Housing Trust Silicon Valley, a nonprofit community development group, announced on June 11 it will award a $50,000 grant to the School of Arts and Culture at Mexican Heritage Plaza. As the plaza celebrated...