After 19 years on the streets, unhoused San Jose resident Kellie Goodman is finally moving into a home. But she’s worried about her friends who aren’t so lucky—some of whom will soon be cleared from their camps. More than 100 homeless residents in Columbus Park in downtown San Jose have about five weeks before the...
UPDATE: San Jose commissioners approve Cambrian Park Plaza redesign
A mixed-use development five years in the making is moving forward in San Jose following a recent Planning Commission vote. On Tuesday, commissioners voted unanimously to recommend the City Council proceed with Cambrian Village, a development that will redesign a 1950s-era shopping center at Camden and Union avenues in San Jose. The parcel is being...
San Jose sees rising property values despite economic woes
The value of taxable properties in San Jose skyrocketed last year thanks to demand for luxury homes and new construction. Experts and county officials say the growth won’t last. At the heart of wealthy Silicon Valley, the assessed value of all property grew by $15 billion over the last 12 months—a jump from $215.9 billion to $231...
Safe parking set for South San Jose homeless residents
South San Jose residents are up in arms over a plan to turn a light rail station parking lot into a space for homeless people to park and live in RVs. More than 100 people showed up to a virtual community meeting Wednesday led by Councilmember Sergio Jimenez’s office to share concerns over a safe parking program at the VTA...
Santa Clara County makes ‘dramatic’ investment in homeless housing
Santa Clara County is doling out millions to house thousands. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors this week unanimously approved $29 million to fund three housing projects which will add 332 homes to San Jose, Morgan Hill and Sunnyvale. Twenty million of the funding comes from the county’s $950 million Measure A bond, and...
A $9,000 mortgage in San Jose? That’s ‘reasonable,’ realtors say
For 15 years, Matthew Quevedo and his wife, A’Dreana, moved from apartment-to-apartment in San Jose. They started with a $900 a month one-bedroom in the Seven Trees neighborhood when they were both 18 years old, making $12 an hour at Home Depot. But in October 2020, after years of saving up, they got a piece...
Tiny homes are coming, whether San Jose lawmakers like it or not
Tiny homes in San Jose are being hailed as a fix to a growing homelessness crisis. But two policymakers are saying the sites in their districts won’t work. The City Council this week voted 8-2 to approve a plan that would add 400 transitional homes, as the region’s housing crisis continues to push more people...
A San Jose temple’s latest adversary? A former planning commissioner
A former city commissioner is behind a new push to stop a Sikh temple from expanding in a suburban San Jose neighborhood — but his attempts, like many before it, have failed. Jim Zito, who sat on the San Jose Planning Commission and unsuccessfully ran for City Council in 2020, filed an appeal in April to...
Google invests in historic San Jose house
A 112-year-old house will soon turn into affordable homes for four families thanks to a tech giant’s multi-million dollar loan. Habitat for Humanity Bay Area, which consists of the Habitat East Bay/Silicon Valley and the Habitat Greater San Francisco, is receiving the $10 million loan from Mountain View-based Google to renovate and build a number...
County commission rejects plan to demolish old San Jose City Hall
A proposal to demolish San Jose’s former City Hall has encountered resistance from a county commission and local preservationists. The Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission voted unanimously last week against an application to demolish the old City Hall at 801 N. 1st St. The recommendation will be referred to the Board of Supervisors, which will make...