Tavia Jones felt so unsafe at the Sunnyvale homeless shelter that she would risk being found by her abuser on the streets to avoid living in a facility where she said she was treated as less than a human. For years, shelters in Santa Clara County have been rife with violence, theft, mistreatment of residents...
Sunnyvale developments could result in food deserts
A Sunnyvale project to create walkable, interconnected neighborhoods could come up short, with advocates worried that vital retail services will be slashed. City officials have identified seven aging shopping centers, with a variety of grocery stores and restaurants, throughout the city that are considered underutilized. The plan for these sites, called village centers, is to...
San Jose mayor opposes rent control expansion measure
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan has come out against a November ballot initiative that could vastly expand rent control to cover any type of housing in California. State law has for decades barred cities from limiting rent hikes on single-family homes and apartments built after 1995. Proposition 33 would repeal that law and also let...
Cupertino housing project designed for people with disabilities
A first-of-its-kind Cupertino development could advance housing accessibility at a low cost to future residents. The project along Mary Avenue could bring about 40 affordable apartments to the city in a unique mix — 19 apartments designated for adults and families with children who have developmental disabilities and 20 for low-income residents. The two-story project...
Bay Area fund aims to speed up housing construction
A model Bay Area partnership aims to fill the gap in affordable housing projects that are short capital, seeing it as a way to accelerate much needed construction. The Bay Area Housing Innovation Fund — launched by Destination: Home in partnership with the San Francisco Housing Accelerator Fund, Sobrato Philanthropies and Apple — will put...
Sunnyvale notches another affordable housing project
A 100% affordable housing project near the Lawrence Caltrain station in Sunnyvale is moving forward, with the development planning to open next year. Nonprofit developer MidPen Housing lifted the first wall of a new 176-apartment building, Ira D. Hall Square, at the end of July. Construction began on 1178 Sonora Court in January this year,...
San Jose allows sale of backyard homes as condos
With the average house in San Jose costing more than $1 million, the city has jumped at implementing a new state law that could bring more homes to market. San Jose is the first city in California to opt into a law passed by the state Legislature last year that allows residents to sell their...
Lack of West Valley homeless shelters prompts action
James, an unhoused Campbell resident, has a hard time trekking to the closest shelter in San Jose roughly 5 1/2 miles away. He avoids shelters, preferring to move around, but would go to a safe one if any were nearby. “I’m surviving right now, I’m surviving,” he told San José Spotlight. “(I’m) getting stuff I...
Potential Cupertino development irks residents
A potential multi-family housing project is creating a stir in a quiet Cupertino neighborhood, signaling an intolerance for large housing developments. The proposed project, which includes plans for 23 homes with a percentage of affordable housing at 20739 Scofield Drive, drew ire from the street’s residents at a Cupertino City Council meeting earlier this month. Some...
‘Very dirty’: Sunnyvale homeless shelter residents raise sanitation issues
Homeless residents at the North County Shelter in Sunnyvale say a shift in management has heightened sanitation problems and workers are unequipped to handle older adults living there. Two residents of the Santa Clara County-owned shelter told San José Spotlight there are numerous unhygienic issues, including pests such as rats and scabies — in addition...