North San Jose development includes affordable housing

A proposed development with hundreds of apartments in North San Jose has housing advocates and nearby residents cautiously optimistic.

San Jose-based developer Valley Oak Partners recently submitted a detailed plan to the city planning department for 637 apartments and 100 townhomes that goes beyond the 15% minimum affordable housing requirement. The proposal designates 132 apartments or 20% for residents and building managers who are eligible for affordable housing. The 9.7-acre multi-family residential proposal for 211 River Oaks Parkway includes three stories of market-rate townhomes, five stories of affordable apartments and seven stories of market-rate apartments.

San Jose is hosting a Nov. 14 meeting with nearby residents to gather feedback before city officials consider the proposal.

District 4 Councilmember David Cohen said many of the projects in North San Jose are exceeding the minimum affordable housing threshold.

“The project is an important infill location in North San Jose and it’s on our housing element as a location for family housing. So I’m hopeful we can move this project forward and get it built,” Cohen told San José Spotlight.

He said the San Jose City Council set a goal for North San Jose projects to have more than 20% of homes reserved for affordable housing. City officials said in 2022 the area hasn’t seen any new housing for nearly a decade.

Alex Shoor, executive director of sustainable housing advocacy group Catalyze SV, said the group gave Valley Oak Partners a high appraisal for the project’s affordable housing pledge, but they should consider squeezing more homes in the area to increase housing density.

The developer can build 75 to 250 homes per acre as opposed to the 76 homes per acre proposed in the existing plan, he said.

“We’re not going to solve the housing crisis by building townhomes,” Shoor told San José Spotlight. “There’s a couple multi-story buildings, one of which is seven stories, and that’s great — but townhomes are not going to get the job done.”

Valley Oak Partners representatives met with the nearby River Oaks Neighborhood Association over the summer to present preliminary plans. Among the concerns included potential traffic issues, parking shortages and the future of existing walking paths.
Neighborhood association members took issue with the proposed removal of 220 trees, including redwoods that residents say make up the character of the area.

Valley Oak Partners did not respond to a request for comment.

“The more housing we build in North San Jose, the better,” Cohen told San José Spotlight.

Shoor said he is hopeful the developer will implement the project recommendations outlined by Catalyze SV, as well as community feedback from residents who should be included in the planning process.

“We know that developers frequently make changes and updates to their projects as they take in community feedback,” he told San José Spotlight. “So we’re hopeful they’ll do that.”

Contact Vicente Vera at [email protected] or follow @VicenteJVera on X, formerly known as Twitter.