San Jose’s historic St. James Park is one step closer to joining a national nonprofit’s network of outdoor music venues fashioned from neglected public spaces. The City Council unanimously authorized negotiations Tuesday for a three-party operating agreement for the future downtown concert venue between the city, the national Levitt Foundation and Friends of Levitt Pavilion San Jose,...
Sunnyvale eyes former hardware store for housing
Sunnyvale wants to replace a vacant Orchard Supply Hardware site with hundreds of new homes. The Sunnyvale Planning Commission heard proposed plans on Jan. 27 for a 5.24-acre development at 777 Sunnyvale Saratoga Road, which would include one 7-story building with 162 apartments and close to a dozen 3-story buildings with 80 condos. The project...
Campbell development could add to city’s affordable housing
A busy Campbell corner with multiple businesses could transform into more than 100 homes. San Francisco-based City Ventures has submitted plans for a 173-home housing development with eight, 4-story buildings and another 5-story building at 700 W. Hamilton Ave. near San Tomas Expressway. Plans include 84 attached townhomes, 84 condos and five attached tiny homes....
Santa Clara County housing plans approved by state
Santa Clara County’s state-mandated housing plans have been approved — nearly two years after the deadline. The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Tuesday to approve the county’s housing element, which details how officials plan to meet state housing goals over the next eight years to account for population growth and other community needs. The California...
Campbell makes building duplexes easier on single-family lots
Campbell is making it easier for residents to create a wide array of housing options in their own backyards. The Campbell City Council unanimously voted Monday to implement a temporary policy to make the city compliant with Senate Bill 450. The law, enacted Jan. 1 after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it last year, makes it simpler for homeowners to...
Insufficient builder fees leave San Jose with infrastructure backlog
Housing and business developers in San Jose avoid building public improvements by paying fees to the city, but this often leads to infrastructure projects slowing to a crawl. Developers are typically responsible for building necessary infrastructure as part of residential and commercial projects, such as underground utilities, street improvements, traffic signals and more. To get...
Chick-fil-A may have found a home in the West Valley
A crispy fried chicken chain may have found a home in West San Jose. Chick-fil-A filed plans with the San Jose planning department last month to build a new restaurant at 4400 Stevens Creek Blvd. where an empty Round Table Pizza and kidney dialysis center sit. The chicken-eatery giant wants to demolish the existing 10,400-square-foot...
Santa Clara County agritourism threatened by development
Santa Clara County officials remain out of compliance with state housing laws, which could put their agricultural tourism efforts in a race against developments proposing to pave over the Valley of Heart’s Delight remaining farmland — with or without their approval. A San José Spotlight review of county builder’s remedy applications shows at least 20...
How Santa Clara County divvied up its housing bond dollars
A $950 million affordable housing bond has helped build thousands of affordable homes across Santa Clara County, though its efforts have focused on some parts of the region more than others. Measure A, passed by voters in 2016, has helped fund the construction of 5,135 new homes and smashed the county’s goal of 4,800 in...
Santa Clara County still lacks state approval on housing plans
Santa Clara County is nearly two years behind on receiving state approval for its housing plans, allowing developers to push projects forward in unwanted ways. County officials submitted their fourth draft of the housing element on Nov. 1 and expect to hear back from the state Department of Housing and Community Development by Dec. 31. Lacking...