Drivers plunge down freeway ramps until shooting past the entrance into an endless stream of vehicles, some undoubtedly pushing past speed limits. Freeway ramps were made to be launch pads for cars – but for Joe Martinez they’re a place to sleep when he’s looking for more privacy and security. He lived off Highway 87...
San Jose explores policy allowing nonprofits to purchase affordable housing
San Jose could soon allow nonprofits to purchase apartment complexes before developers or landlords — a bold idea already adopted in cities like San Francisco and Washington. The movement to adopt the policy, called the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act or COPA, began earlier this year during tenant rights workshops hosted by East San Jose nonprofit...
San Jose hotel to expand capacity, housing for homeless young adults
Five years after converting the defunct Plaza Hotel into homeless housing, city leaders unanimously approved a plan to double its capacity. “The investment the facility needs is pretty significant to be able to house as many people as we want and we can,” said Councilmember Raul Peralez. “This is the first step to be able...
Will San Jose meet its affordable housing goals for the Diridon area?
San Jose wants 25% of homes in the Diridon Station Area — where Google aims to build an 80-acre campus for roughly 20,000 workers — to be designated as affordable. But how will it reach that goal? Housing policy thinktank Silicon Valley at Home and the San Jose Housing Department led a meeting this month...
‘Nasty as hell’: Affordable housing site in East San Jose has mildew, drugs, tenants say
While the lobby of Renascent Place, a 160-unit affordable housing complex in San Jose is white-glove clean, a few steps inside residents’ living quarters the smell of mildew becomes almost overpowering. “It’s nasty as hell,” said Jina Monarch, a resident at Renascent Place. She’s lived at the complex since it opened in February 2020. By her estimate,...
Historic or racist? San Jose lawmakers debate new designation
An effort to create a new historic district in an affluent part of San Jose is raising concerns the city is memorializing segregation and racism. Elected leaders voted 4-1 at a City Council committee meeting this week to nominate a new historic district near downtown called The Alameda Park/Schiele Avenue Historic District. Councilmember Dev Davis championed...
San Jose development leaves residents, local groups wanting more
Renee Heymann, owner of K9 Keep Fit, a dog daycare across the street from the Cambrian Park Plaza in San Jose, relies on the plaza’s iconic carousel sign to tell customers where her business is. “It’s nostalgic,” Heymann said of the plaza. “Everyone knows this place. It has a quaintness to it.” A massive redevelopment of...
San Jose commission delays decision on flea market development
With hundreds of flea market vendors holding their breath, a San Jose panel chose to pause discussions on a major development—at least for now. At the center of the debate is a plan to densify a portion of the iconic flea market on Berryessa Road in San Jose. The proposal seeks to approve up to...
Local rent relief is on its way in San Jose
San Jose is one step closer to getting financial relief to landlords and tenants who’ve struggled to pay their bills during the pandemic. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously accepted $30,379,739.90 in emergency rental assistance from the federal government. San Jose is divvying the funds between community-based organizations to reach residents that state...
San Jose responds to wage theft allegations, safety hazards at homeless housing site
San Jose leaders will withhold payment on a homeless housing project after a San José Spotlight article revealed widespread allegations of wage theft and safety violations. The city also launched an investigation. The project, located at Monterey and Bernal Roads in San Jose, is one of three emergency housing sites citywide created for homeless residents...