The pandemic couldn’t stop the steady march of development in San Jose in 2021. Tech campuses, high-rise towers and affordable housing are all in the works for next year and beyond. Here are a few of the biggest projects to watch in 2022: Google’s downtown dream Earlier this year, San Jose lawmakers approved Google’s plan to...
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...
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,...
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...
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...
San Jose officials exploring more potential Project Homekey sites
San Jose officials are quietly inquiring about hotels that might fit the criteria to acquire through Project Homekey funds in 2022. Mayor Sam Liccardo recently contacted the owner of two hotels—the Quality Inn on 13th Street and the Tully Inn on Tully Road—to see if they might be a good fit for the Project Homekey...
UPDATE: San Jose council delays potential Calle Willow rezoning
Small businesses owners in San Jose’s Calle Willow district are fearing displacement. A delayed rezoning vote on their neighborhood isn’t likely to help assuage their fears. The San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to delay a vote to remove Willow Street, known to residents as Calle Willow, from a city plan to increase building height...
San Jose expands investigation of labor violations at emergency housing sites
San Jose is expanding its investigation of illegal labor practices, including wage theft, at emergency housing projects handled by Habitat for Humanity, but there’s no set date for when workers will get paid. The city’s Public Works Department is demanding $319,631.46 in restitution for workers from Veev Build, a subcontractor, for various alleged labor violations reported by...