Santa Clara County has seen a number of milestones in its effort to increase the affordable housing inventory this month, including a first in a decade development for North San Jose. The county and cities like San Jose and Santa Clara are racing to build more housing—especially affordable and supportive residences—to help address a housing crisis that...
Amended settlement allows new housing in North San Jose
A legal obstacle that blocked new housing in North San Jose for almost a decade has now been removed, thanks to an amended settlement between San Jose and Santa Clara. San Jose councilmembers voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an agreement with Santa Clara, which will free the city to pursue housing development in North San...
UPDATE: San Jose officials approve Measure E spending plan
The San Jose City Council signed off on a $65 million spending plan intended for affordable housing and homeless services. On Tuesday, Councilmembers approved allocation of funds raised through Measure E—a 2020 property transfer tax to pay for affordable housing, safe parking and programs to support the homeless. The measure is expected to produce $205...
San Jose sees homeless population grow
San Jose saw its homeless population grow 11% during the pandemic despite investments in housing and enhanced safety measures, with some advocates saying the reality on the ground is even bleaker. New data released this week shows the total number of unhoused residents in San Jose is 6,739, an 11% increase from the 2019 Santa...
San Jose reimagines park near the city’s largest homeless camp
San Jose is moving forward on plans to reimagine and rename Columbus Park, near the location of the city’s largest homeless camp. Through public meetings and surveys, residents are helping shape development of the 12.5-acre site, located at Asbury and Irene streets in San Jose. On Thursday, residents requested beautification, safe bicycle paths leading to...
Rent burden growing worse in Santa Clara County
The rent burden grew heavier in Santa Clara County during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and there’s no sign it will get any lighter this year. Rents in Santa Clara County increased 6.3% between the end of 2020 and end of 2021, according to a recent report from California Housing Partnership, which provides housing...
South Bay land trust saves residents from displacement
For more than a year after Tafhari Siyani Benjamin Franklin moved into a fourplex on Reed Street in San Jose, the Navy veteran’s clothes were still in bins and bags. He’d watched as developments sprung up nearby and worried the property—home to formerly unhoused veterans—would be sold next. If that happened, he’d be unable to...
Path to planned downtown San Jose landmark unclear
An anticipated landmark in downtown San Jose isn’t going to be a breeze to install. The City Council unanimously voted last May to install an iconic landmark, dubbed “The Breeze of Innovation.” The design beat out nearly 1,000 submissions in an international competition launched in 2019 for creating a new landmark at Arena Green, where the...
Los Gatos residents rally against town growth
Los Gatos residents are overall happy with their quaint upper-class town, but when is comes to growth management, sentiment darkens. Los Gatos recently conducted a community survey examining the quality of life and levels of services in town. The survey, conducted by market research company ETC Institute at a cost of $25,000, focused on where...
Google refreshes San Jose residents on downtown plans
For the first time in roughly two years, Google held an in-person community forum for San Jose residents to learn about the tech company’s plans for a campus that will dramatically change downtown. On Saturday, residents browsed colorful poster boards and spoke with Google representatives at an event near the SAP Center. Sheela Jivan, Google’s director of...