North San Jose will see a transformational change along one of its busiest transit corridors as more affordable housing, walkways and bike and bus lanes are developed — thanks to a multimillion-dollar state grant aimed at reducing carbon emissions.
Affirmed Housing Group has received a $38 million grant to build 195 affordable apartments next to the Berryessa Transit Center and make transportation improvements along King Road, which runs parallel to the site. The grant comes from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program, which finances projects that integrate affordable housing and environmental sustainability.
“The King Road corridor will be transformed into a safer, calmer street to better serve the needs of transit riders, bicyclists and pedestrians,” Rob Wilkins, Northern California vice president of Affirmed Housing Group, told San José Spotlight.
Several miles of bus-only lanes will be built, along with 29,000 feet of walkways. In addition, each resident in the housing development will have access to bikes and scooters and receive a free BART and VTA pass to encourage ridership. This will “significantly enhance transit ridership,” Wilkins said.
Affirmed Housing Group is expected to start construction as early as next year and be ready for tenants by the end of 2028. Housing will be available for residents making 60% or less than Santa Clara County’s median income, with half the residences reserved for those making 50% or less. For a family of four, the median income is $184,300.
The development will cost approximately $159 million, with $9 million going toward the bus and bike lanes.
Part of the first floor will be designed as a child care facility, while 46 apartments will provide supportive services for residents who have experienced homelessness.
“It’s a really perfect place,” San Jose Councilmember David Cohen, whose district includes the development’s location, told San José Spotlight. “Berryessa is not just a BART station, but also a transit hub with connections to all the bus lines. And so this grant helps enhance bus connectivity and will provide people the ability to move around the city. I’m excited about it.”
Since the program began in 2014, it has invested more than $160 million into eight affordable housing projects in San Jose, which will add nearly 1,000 apartments when completed. Four of those developments have opened, including the Arya building on Almaden Boulevard that came online last month.
Across the state, the program has funded $3.2 billion toward 185 developments and hundreds of miles of bike and bus lanes, resulting in 5.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions avoided each year.
The California Legislature created the program to help reduce the state’s carbon footprint and meet its greenhouse gas emission goals. The California Global Warming Solutions Act mandated the state cut its greenhouse gasses to 1990 levels by 2020, 40% below 1990 levels by 2030 and to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. California met its first goal six years early, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels in 2014.
“We’re seeing some of the affordable housing projects also being activated as community resilience centers in the wake of extreme heat, activating new types of energy efficiency and promoting sustainable energy,” Amar Cid, deputy director of community investments for the council that manages the grant program, told San José Spotlight. “We’re also seeing a lot of urban greening in the areas of the development, new trees, gardens, walkways. (It’s a) really beautiful opportunity for a whole community approach.”
Contact Joyce Chu at [email protected] or @joyce_speaks on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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