San Jose’s first safe sleeping site for homeless residents has temporarily shut down due to electrical issues just days after opening. A housing department spokesperson said the city closed the Taylor Street tent village on Friday and moved nearly a dozen homeless people living there to other temporary housing sites. The electrical issues stem from...
East San Jose school district waits for burned youth center assessment
As an East San Jose school district gets quotes to potentially demolish a former vacant youth center that caught fire last month, advocates are still attempting to save it. The Alum Rock Union School District is still weighing what needs to be done with the former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building, which burned...
San Jose grapples with preserving its past
With a Japantown family-run business on the brink, a debate over historic preservation has San Jose in a headlock — preserve the past at a cost, or chase the future at a loss. A series of debt-accruing business choices threaten Japantown’s well-known Trigg family with the prospect of losing their home and businesses. They own Jtown...
Sunnyvale development proposes condo, rental combo
A new housing development is one step closer to transforming the corner of a major Sunnyvale road that’s home to car sales lot. The Sunnyvale Planning Commission unanimously voted Monday to allow De Anza Properties and property owners to change their 111-home project to a mix of roughly 85 owned condos and 25 apartments for...
Cupertino’s RV permit policy could affect homeless residents
Fanny never expected she’d uproot her four children from their Santa Clara apartment to a small RV parked on a side street off Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino. When her landlord kicked her out due to a minor dispute about two months ago, she began renting the RV for $900 a month to stay off the...
Silicon Valley tool alerts homeless residents to available housing
One nonprofit has a unique web tool to help homeless people connect to resources, with the goal of becoming the go-to site for that population. MyConnectSV, a web-based portal spearheaded by Destination: Home, allows homeless residents to directly message case managers, receive alerts on available housing and more. The nonprofit wants to hit 2,000 users...
Silicon Valley could see more affordable housing under Trump bill
Amid a tsunami of cuts to the nation’s social safety nets, a golden nugget in the congressional budget bill will allow developers to create more affordable housing. H.R. 1 provides an increase to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, the primary source of federal funding for affordable housing. Starting next year, states will be...
Future of East San Jose youth center uncertain after fire
A devastating fire that recently gutted a vacant youth center in East San Jose hasn’t diminished the community’s desire to restore it for future use. The former Mexican American Community Services Agency (MACSA) building burned down Friday, breaking the hearts of Eastside advocates who want to revitalize and reuse the space. The Alum Rock Union...
Sunnyvale has found the secret to downtown’s success
Sunnyvale has found the blueprint for creating a prosperous downtown. Officials have figured out how to balance retail, housing and offices in the city’s core, even with an aggressive plan to build out nearly 1 million square feet of new office space in downtown. Sunnyvale is confident it will attract employers with its live, work...
Los Gatos eyes high-end restaurant, furniture gallery combo
A high-class restaurant and furniture gallery concept could come to an empty corner of downtown Los Gatos. The Planning Commission unanimously voted Wednesday to recommend granting a conditional use permit to RH, a luxury home goods company with plans to open a restaurant and gallery at 31 University Ave. The Corte Madera-based company — known...