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Eduardo Almanza has been homeless on and off for years. He’s had a number of close calls with cars and the VTA light rail in San Jose, and he openly admits to becoming disoriented and ending up in the road. He said he’s seen friends with bruises and sprained ankles caused by drivers not paying...
San Jose safe parking for homeless residents delayed
San Jose is spending nearly $2 million to lease land it has yet to use for homeless people living in their vehicles—and councilmembers, residents and advocates want things done quicker. Land at 1300 Berryessa Road has sat vacant since last July. The city agreed to lease the 6.3-acre parcel at $1.7 million annually for at least...
San Jose homeless housing expansion highlights cost concerns
San Jose is allocating millions of dollars to double the capacity of its oldest temporary housing site for homeless residents, pushing long-term operating costs into overdrive. The Rue Ferrari site, located in South San Jose, is adding 134 beds at a cost of more than $30 million. The San Jose City Council unanimously approved the...
Major Silicon Valley developments to watch in 2024
In 2023, San Jose and Silicon Valley’s development scene faced numerous challenges, including increasing costs due to inflation and spiked interest rates making financing projects of all kinds more difficult and expensive. While development approvals continued at a rapid pace, many projects are on hold or being changed or resized to cut costs, office space...
Hundreds died on Silicon Valley streets this year
San Jose and Santa Clara County have spent decades and millions of dollars trying to end homelessness, and while some progress has been made, thousands remain on the street each night—and hundreds die each year. In 2023, 201 unhoused people died on county streets, a number officials say is a grim reminder of a failure...
Silicon Valley office vacancies stuck in double digits
Silicon Valley’s offices are rapidly emptying out, as the paradigm-shifting remote work culture brought on by the pandemic continues to affect the commercial real estate market. A December report from the research arms of Joint Venture Silicon Valley and commercial real estate firm JLL Silicon Valley shows demand for office space in the third quarter of...
Watch: The future of growth and development in Cupertino
In its first live community engagement event in Cupertino, San José Spotlight hosted a robust policy discussion around development in the city—including the outlook for commercial, retail and housing growth. The panel, held this month in partnership with the city, featured Community Development Director Benjamin Fu and Economic Development Manager Daniel Degu, as well as...
Santa Clara County extends homeless services contract amid controversy
Santa Clara County officials are moving ahead with a temporary contract extension for homeless support services, despite uneasiness over allegations of discrimination by the nonprofit provider. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a three-month, $2 million contract extension with homeless service provider HomeFirst to operate the Boccardo Reception Center in...
Sunnyvale fire stations are getting a face-lift
Sunnyvale plans to renovate the majority of its fire stations, starting with the one that trains future firefighters. The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday is slated to award a more than $2 million contract to PBK Architects to begin the process of rebuilding Fire Station 2. The city is expected to allocate about $40 million...
San Jose resident nearly loses home from RV fire
Residents in San Jose’s Alameda neighborhood have concerns over the growing number of people living in vehicles, after an RV fire damaged property. While there are time limits for vehicles, including RVs, parking on a public street—no more than 72 hours—residents and business owners say these rules are not being enforced. The Nov. 26 RV fire that...