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A China-based real estate firm whose co-founder was recently arrested in connection with a bribery scheme is selling off a premier residential development site in San Jose, while the fate of two others is still unclear. The former Greyhound bus station site at 70 S. Almaden Ave. in downtown San Jose, owned by Z&L Properties,...
State housing law fizzles in San Jose
One year after a state law aimed at increasing housing supply went into effect, the destruction of single-family neighborhood character that many of the bill’s opponents raised alarms about has not yet come to pass. Senate Bill 9 effectively ended exclusionary single-family zoning statewide, allowing homeowners in some long unchanged neighborhoods to subdivide their lots...
San Jose renters rally for more rights
A coalition of local groups is calling on the San Jose City Council to prioritize policies preventing displacement of renters amid the ongoing housing crisis. The coalition, which includes Sacred Heart Community Service, SOMOS Mayfair, the South Bay Community Land Trust and others, want city policymakers to bolster renter’s rights, preserve affordable rental housing and stop criminalizing...
These projects could reshape Silicon Valley next year
As San Jose and Silicon Valley further emerge from the effects of the pandemic, development on major projects continues to move forward across the region. Here are some of the notable developments and policies to keep an eye on in 2023: Google’s Downtown West project The largest development in San Jose’s history, Google’s 80-acre Downtown West...
Hundreds of San Jose families face eviction
Days before Christmas, Zayna Herring, her 4-year-old son Alex and her roommate sat in the courthouse in downtown San Jose, worried they’d soon be homeless. “It’s a lot of stress,” Herring told San José Spotlight. “Everything takes money, and that’s what we don’t have.” Herring, a single mom working two jobs while attending college full-time,...
Silicon Valley offices less empty than other regions
In the wake of the pandemic, Silicon Valley is faring better than other nearby areas when it comes to office vacancies. But researchers say decisions on work culture at major tech companies could change the dynamic. That’s according to a recent report from Joint Venture Silicon Valley and commercial real estate broker JLL, which focused on...
These towers will reshape block near San Jose City Hall
Two major high-rise towers are slated to go up catty corner from San Jose City Hall, reshaping a low-slung block with hundreds of apartments and more than half a million square feet of office space. The Icon and Echo towers from San Jose real estate firm Urban Catalyst gained unanimous approval from the San Jose City...
San Jose developer broke state law by overcharging renters
A prominent housing developer violated state law by gouging its renters living near San Jose’s Japantown. Now the company is paying it back. Swenson, one of the largest housing developers in San Jose, admitted in a letter sent to tenants this month it illegally raised the rent above the state limit. The letter came more than a...
San Jose faces decades of City Hall debt
It’s been roughly 20 years since San Jose leaders voted to build a new City Hall, rotunda, plaza and parking garage at Fourth and Santa Clara streets in the heart of the city’s downtown. It’ll be nearly another two decades before the full tab is paid. Even before the idea became a reality, city leaders...
San Jose homeless motel changes hands
Dirty water pouring out of faucets, and mold and holes in the ceiling have finally convinced San Jose to remove itself and a service provider from a hotel-turned-housing project. The Santa Clara County Housing Authority and Jamboree Housing Corporation are taking over the day-to-day services of SureStay Motel from the city and Abode Services, after...