San Jose Flea Market vendors are demanding its owners lock them into 5-year leases and provide at least three years of notice if the market will be closed or relocated. Those are just a few of the demands outlined in a new letter issued by the Berryessa Flea Market Vendors Association obtained by San José...
The cost of building affordable housing in San Jose
The high costs of building in San Jose, among the highest in the state, imperil the supply of a crucial source of financing for affordable housing: state tax credits. “Each year, these programs change their funding requirements,” Michael Lane, state policy director at urban planning think tank SPUR, told San José Spotlight. “It takes multiple years to put...
San Jose nonprofit faces accusations of bedbugs, mildew in apartments
Zack Anderson only pays about $350 a month in rent thanks to housing subsidies from a local nonprofit—but not for the past eight months. He said he’s been holding off on payments because his South San Jose apartment is infested with bedbugs, mildew and needs urgent maintenance. The apartment is managed by Downtown Streets Team,...
Racial segregation runs deep in San Jose, report says
While activists maintain that San Jose’s housing policies are inherently segregated, a study undertaken by the city shows just how deep racial disparities go. “The main takeaway is the legacy of past segregation is still very much alive,” said Kristen Clements, division manager of the policy group within the city’s housing department. “It’s still visible...
San Jose’s largest temporary emergency shelter to close
COVID-19 restrictions in the region are winding down, and so is San Jose’s largest temporary emergency shelter. South Hall, an 80,000-square foot space at the San Jose McEnery Convention Center in downtown, will shutter its emergency COVID-19 shelter by July 15. It will be cleaned and turned over to Team San Jose, the city’s visitor and...
Why San Jose killed sanctioned homeless encampments
The idea of creating legal tent cities for San Jose’s homeless people — or sanctioned encampments as they’re called — once again died inside the City Council chambers earlier this year. It isn’t the first time San Jose lawmakers flirted with the idea. In 2015, then-Councilmember Don Rocha led the charge to create encampments a...
San Jose Flea Market vendors protest development plan
A three-mile walk in 80-degree heat is difficult as is. But for San Jose Flea Market vendor Cesar Pardo, he felt it was his duty to support his fellow retailers. Dozens of vendors—along with representatives from labor and advocacy groups Latinos United for a New America (LUNA), Working Partnerships USA, SIREN, Catalyze SV and other supporters—marched...
Google, San Jose work out affordable housing goals
Google is coming to downtown San Jose and it’s bringing 4,000 housing units with it. But making sure that a quarter of those units are affordable will be difficult. The biggest obstacle to building affordable housing, city leaders say, is the high cost of land. “The great thing about the Google model is that they’re not...
Developers propose high-rise at historic San Jose restaurant
In the 1950s, youngsters bopped to doo-wop, folks dined at drive-in burger joints and architects dreamed of homes in outer space. It was in this decade that the “Googie” style of architecture flourished, eventually bearing the construction of what would become Bo Town restaurant in downtown San Jose. Now developers aim to erect a 29-story residential tower at...
San Jose to receive boost from sale of debt-ridden Hayes Mansion
Two years after the sale of Hayes Mansion, San Jose has finally rid itself of the property’s massive debt—and it’s actually getting some money back. San Jose bought the historic mansion in 1985 for $2.5 million and turned it into a conference center with a dining room, 214 guest rooms, a pool and a fitness...