With the launch of a new housing voucher program, San Jose intends to strike two birds with one stone: Provide below-market rate homes downtown and stabilize a financially struggling residential complex. Under the first rollout of the Lower Income Voucher and Equity Program, approved by the City Council Tuesday, San Jose will provide up to...
San Jose Quakers to make historic meeting house ADA accessible
The oldest Quaker meeting house west of Iowa is celebrating its 140th anniversary with a renewed commitment to accessibility. The historic San Jose Meeting House is raising funds to bring its landmark space into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The remodeling has turned out to be more extensive than expected due to...
San Jose company takes VTA to court over eminent domain
A commercial truck company based in San Jose is taking VTA to court, two years after the public transit agency forced the business to move off a site slated for use in the planned BART extension project through Silicon Valley. Monarch Truck Center, a full service medium duty truck dealership, had operated at 195 N. 30th St....
South Bay property owners to pay fee for assessment appeals
Santa Clara County homeowners and businesses will have to pay hundreds of dollars in fees to challenge how much they pay in property taxes every year. The Board of Supervisors on Feb. 10 unanimously approved charging single-family home and condo owners $290 to appeal the county assessor’s determination of their property value, which in turn...
San Jose is world’s least affordable city for first-time homebuyers
San Jose has been ranked No. 1 for the least affordable city in the world for first-time homebuyers in a new global study, underscoring how far housing costs have outpaced wages in the heart of Silicon Valley. The study — conducted by financial services company Remitly — analyzed housing affordability in more than 150 cities...
UPDATE: San Jose council delays mobile home rent increase
Some of the last naturally affordable housing in San Jose may be preserved, after officials deferred a proposed rent increase in mobile home parks. The City Council voted 10-1 Tuesday to delay a proposed 10% space rent increase whenever a mobile home is sold and engage in community meetings with residents and park owners to...
Santa Clara County could charge for property value appeals
Santa Clara County homeowners have the power to challenge how much they pay in property taxes every year. But it could start costing hundreds of dollars to appeal. County leaders are considering charging single-family home and condo owners $290 to appeal the county assessor’s determination of their property’s value, which in turn determines the taxes homeowners pay...
San Jose housing commissioners against mobile home rent increase
The San Jose Housing and Community Development Commission is recommending not to raise rents for residents living in the city’s 58 mobile home parks. A majority of commissioners on Thursday didn’t support a proposed 10% increase to space rents once a mobile home is sold. The city Housing Department proposed the increase as a way...
San Jose to study reforming historic preservation rules
San Jose has taken the first step in a likely lengthy process to revamp the city’s approach to historic preservation. Councilmembers have outlined reform proposals for city staff to study in the new year. These include measures to boost outreach to owners of historic properties, as well as reforms intended to make it easier to...
San Jose wants to raise rents in mobile home parks
San Jose mobile home residents say the city blindsided them by proposing changes that will increase rents. The Housing Department is considering an update to its mobile home rent policy that would include a one-time rent increase up to 10% whenever a mobile home is sold, among other changes. Under the existing policy, property owners...