Kelly Tasker, a grandmother at the age of 44, battled homelessness for nearly a decade. Through the help of the Compassion Center in Gilroy, Tasker found her first permanent apartment that would have given her a chance to get help with her chronic illness and lift her partner off the streets. But for Tasker, along...
San Jose nonprofits rally behind anti-displacement housing policy
A coalition of local nonprofits and residents are pushing for a policy to prevent displacement and create a pathway to homeownership for low-income renters, amid a growing housing crisis that is pricing many out of the region. The proposed policy, named the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (COPA), would require rental property owners to offer first...
Where can San Jose homeless residents warm up this winter?
San Jose is opening two temporary overnight warming centers to provide shelter for unhoused residents as temperatures continue to dip. The City Council voted unanimously this week to restart the annual program. The city picked two new locations this year, the Evergreen Branch Library on Aborn Road and the Leininger Center on Senter Road—both located in...
Landlords use scare tactics as Santa Clara County evictions grow
Since the statewide eviction ban ended in September, Santa Clara County landlords have been kicking tenants out of their homes in growing numbers. A total of 365 eviction lawsuits have been filed in Santa Clara County from September through Nov. 30 of this year, according to data from the Santa Clara County Superior Court. Of those,...
Homeless deaths soar in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County saw a record high number of homeless deaths this past year, a somber reminder of the exacerbating housing crisis and inequality in one of the wealthiest regions in the nation. The number of people who died on the street in the region has grown in the last few years. In 2020, the area...
After five years, San Jose’s Cambrian Village back on track
Although residents seem satisfied with the latest Cambrian Park Plaza design, questions remain about the project’s impact. The 1950s era Cambrian Park Plaza, located at Camden and Union avenues in San Jose, is being reimagined as Cambrian Village, an 18-acre urban village. It will include retail, restaurants, a hotel, 305 apartments, 48 single-family homes with 27...
San Jose lawmakers implement controversial state housing law
San Jose adopts—and looks to build on—a state law that permits denser development in single-family neighborhoods. The City Council voted 9-1-1 Tuesday to adopt an urgency ordinance to implement Senate Bill 9, a state law that allows more homes on single-family lots. Councilmember Sylvia Arenas did not respond when asked for her vote. The council...
UPDATE: San Jose’s historic Burbank Theater sells for $1.6 million at auction
The historic Burbank Theater sold for $1.6 million in a Wednesday auction after sitting mostly empty for the last two decades. The winner of the auction has yet to be made public. The 72-year-old Art Deco icon sits in an unincorporated neighborhood that borders San Jose. The neglected and abandoned theater went up for auction Monday with a...
UPDATE: San Jose removes commercial requirements for affordable housing
San Jose is eliminating a long-standing development requirement to make way for more affordable housing amid a growing homelessness crisis. Under a decades-old policy, affordable housing projects built within the city’s urban villages, or designated areas planned around public transportation, must dedicate the ground floor to commercial spaces—something lawmakers hoped would spur job growth and...
Why downtown San Jose struggles to find its sense of place
For decades, downtown San Jose has struggled to claim its centrality in Silicon Valley, but the metropolitan core is on the verge of a transformative era, architecture experts say. At the heart of California’s third largest city, many buildings in downtown San Jose aren’t particularly striking—or accurately reflect the status of a city that dubs...