A 173-unit affordable housing project slated for a 1.3-acre surface parking lot at 143 South Third Street. The site sits between South Second and Third Streets, steps from the Paseo de San Antonio and the Hammer Theatre Center, where asphalt has long dominated instead of homes.
Sobrato Organization and Pacific West Communities have teamed up on the preliminary plan, which calls for 171 apartments reserved for extremely low, very low, and low-income households plus two market-rate units for on-site managers. The developers intend to use state streamlining provisions under SB 330 to move the project forward efficiently. Once complete, the buildings will house hundreds of new neighbors who will shop, dine, and gather in the surrounding plazas and streets.
Real estate observers have long argued that adding residents to the urban core helps create an authentic downtown over time. Land-use experts have welcomed the prospect of increased daytime and nighttime activity that comes with hundreds more people living right in the heart of the city. The Sobrato firm has owned the parcel since around 2010 and always envisioned high-density housing rather than perpetual parking, a vision now moving closer to reality.
This proposal reflects a broader shift in San Jose toward prioritizing homes over surface lots in the places where density makes the most sense. By delivering deeply affordable units in a walkable, transit-rich location, the project will support local businesses, reduce pressure on surrounding neighborhoods, and contribute to a more complete, equitable, and dynamic Downtown San Jose.
While it is a major downgrade from the high-rise projects originally planned for the site, it will be a big improvement over the empty parking lot in the middle of Downtown San Jose.
Source: The Mercury News
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