Showing posts with label san jose housing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label san jose housing. Show all posts

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Thousands of homes proposed at site of the former Pleasant Hills Golf Course

There are 114 acres of prime real estate that have been idly sitting around for the past twenty years in East San Jose. The former site of Pleasant Hills Golf Course at the corner of South White Road and Tully Road could become up to 3,991 residences.

Lakeside Community real estate ventures are proposing rezoning and redeveloping the land. They received positive support from the local community for the project, which would provide significant benefits to the local economy in the area.

Given the massive size, hopefully it will be designed as a mixed-use development with a mix of restaurants, retail, and entertainment. However, even if it is pure housing it would help address our supply problems--especially considering that some form of affordable housing is a given in a project this large in San Jose.

Source: The Mercury News


Monday, February 5, 2024

Historic Burbank Theater may be incorporated into a San Jose housing project

A historic theater that opened in 1951 but has been closed since the year 2000 may be reincarnated as housing. The proposal would keep the front section of the theater, including it's highly recognizable sign that represents the Burbank neighborhood, and the original lobby. 

As for the rest of the project, 62 apartments and ground floor retail would be tightly packaged in a five-story building at 552 South Bascom Avenue. The apartments would be split between studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedroom units. At least some of the homes would be designated as affordable housing.

Another fun fact, this area was not technically part of San Jose. It was unincorporated land that is run by Santa Clara County, but is in the process of being annexed into San Jose proper.

Monday, January 29, 2024

New housing development proposed in North San Jose

250 apartments are being eyed in North San Jose at North First Street between Charcot and East Brokaw. Currently there is a 122,500 SQFT six-story office building on the site. It's not clear if this is an office conversion or they are planning to tear down and replace the building. Given the size of the building there already, my bet is on an office-to-housing conversion.

Source: The Mercury News




Friday, January 26, 2024

Abandoned youth center will turn into affordable housing for teachers

A blighted building that used to have classrooms, a gym, and track for the Mexican American Community Services Agency is going to be torn down to make way for a much needed project--housing for teachers. The Alum Rock Union School District is planning to build 78 homes across the 23-acre site which has sat vacant for over 10 years.

Housing costs are completely out of control and if we want our kids to be able to have a decent education, teachers need a place to live. The subsidized housing will go a lot way to attract talent to Alum Rock Union School District.

Surprisingly there is some pushback from the community on tearing down the building. As it would likely cost over $30 million to repair, it would be extremely expensive to integrate it into the housing project.

Source: San Jose Spotlight



Sunday, January 14, 2024

New housing proposal near Five Wounds future BART station and urban village

The densification of the Little Portugal neighborhood around Five Wounds Church and our next BART station is beginning. There is a new proposal to replace two residential lots at 1271 and 1279 Julian Street with a 140-unit apartment building sitting on just under an acre. The seven-story building would have two floors reserved for parking and five floors with 1-3 bedroom apartments. 14 of the apartments would be reserved for very low income housing.

The development permit is going to be considered for approval this Wednesday. This would be one of several projects in the Little Portugal neighborhood, which could see up to 2,000 new jobs, 600,000 SQFT of commercial space, and 5,000-7,000 residential units long-term. The neighborhood is likely to look very different in 10 years.

Source: SVBJ



Thursday, January 4, 2024

Iconic San Jose tower will be converting offices to homes

Demand for office space is low and housing is high, which will likely lead to several office to housing conversions throughout San Jose. One of the most interesting proposals is by the owners of the historic "Bank of Italy" tower in Downtown San Jose. The building was San Jose's original high rise, and the company that built it eventually became Bank of America. It was actually the tallest building between Los Angeles and San Francisco between 1926 and 1970... 44 years.

The latest proposal is to convert the 13-story office building to between 125 and 150 homes across at least 11 of the floors, in addition to doing significant interior and exterior renovations. The attic below the spire and cupola would also be used to support the residential component (perhaps as amenity space). The plan also references a 1,400 SQFT lower penthouse and 900 SQFT upper penthouse. It's not clear exactly where those would be--if they are part of the tower component above the attic or the terraces along the side.

Dining and retail spaces are also earmarked for the project, including one with a 2nd floor terrace which you can see in the 2nd and last images below. I'm reminded of the old Scott's Seafood location. This could be a really unique spot for a restaurant overlooking Fountain Alley and First Street!

It also looks like they want to add some dynamic lighting elements to the top of the tower, which would be a nice bonus for the project. Hopefully they can get this completed before the market shifts again.

Monday, December 18, 2023

New details for University Station near Caltrain and SCU

A new development spanning 451-475 El Camino Real will add 406 units to our housing pool. The location is across the street from Santa Clara University and a five minute walk away from Caltrain and a future BART station. Like Valley Fair, it actually spans across both San Jose and Santa Clara.

The project will be a mix of apartment buildings and townhomes on 11 acres of land, specifically 298 apartments and 108 townhomes. 82 of the 406 units will be designated as affordable housing.

The four-story residential buildings will replace two-story offices and two parking structures. There will be no impact to the small retail center next to Caltrain, the hotel, nor the South Bay Historical Railroad Society building.

Currently there is no ETA, but the latest project drawings are below.

Source: SF YIMBY




Saturday, December 16, 2023

The Fay (formerly Garden Gate) residential high-rise tops out next month in #DTSJ

The only high-rise tower actively under construction right now in Downtown San Jose is The Fay by Morro. Come January it will be at it's full height with 23 floors that will eventually house 336-units of apartments. 

Excavation started in 2022, the crane appeared about a year ago and it will be open to tenants January 2025. It's extremely visible off of 280 and already has an impact to the Downtown San Jose skyline.

As for the building itself, the one and two-bedroom apartments will be European-style, so a bit smaller but with elevated amenities and finishes. The building will have a 24/7 concierge, co-working spaces, and community lounges. Best of all, it will have the amenity I have been clamoring for... a rooftop pool and amenity deck complete with cabanas, the gym, a sky garden, and BBQ grills. San Jose weather and Downtown San Jose's central location with views of the valley make it an ideal place for a heated rooftop pool and this will be the first high-rise building in San Jose to have this feature. In fact, it will be one of only three in the whole Bay Area I'm aware of when it's ready in 2025, the other two being built right now in Santa Clara.

The ground floor contains 5,000 SQFT of retail at 600 S. First St. and the building itself will mark the start of the SoFA neighborhood. This will be a great addition Downtown!

Source: Downtown Dimension



Sunday, December 3, 2023

Santa Clara County building 213-units of affordable housing in Downtown San Jose

A parcel of land at 675 E. Santa Clara St. at outer edge of Downtown San Jose (16th Street) is going to be redeveloped into affordable housing by the Core Companies and Eden Housing. It would include 113 multi-family affordable housing units, 64 units just for senior citizens, and 36 for-sale BMR (below market rate) townhomes.

There is some pushback from local housing advocates on building height... specifically that it is not tall or dense enough for a new project Downtown. Originally there were going to be a couple four-story building and one 13 to 16 story high-rise. The latest plan has been downsized to an eight-story midrise as well as a five and three-story building. Because of this, Catalyze SV, a local nonprofit focused on community engagement, is not supporting the project as is.

It's worth noting that this isn't sitting right on Santa Clara Street, it's on St. John St. 10 blocks away from San Jose City Hall. It's about equal distance to the core of Downtown San Jose as Little Portugal. While it is a bit of a lost opportunity for another high-rise and maximum affordable housing density, there is enough developable land in the area that some affordable housing and density improvement is better than nothing. 

Friday, November 24, 2023

804 new home proposed in Alviso next to San Jose's Topgolf

There are several large parcels in Alviso earmarked for major development, the first of which became Silicon Valley's first Topgolf. Another that was supposed to be an entertainment and retail center has transitioned to become a future data center. Now a parcel that was originally going to be a hotel is pivoting to homes, and quite a large number of them.

Genesis Commercial Capital wants to build 804 new homes on a 3.2 acre site on North First Street right next to the Topgolf--see map below. They are utilizing the state's builder's remedy to expedite and streamline the approval process (the same builder's remedy that is also sometimes weaponized to downsize previously approved projects).

At least 20% of the homes will have to be earmarked as affordable housing. Currently there is no target ETA, but given how badly San Jose needs housing I think it will be a quick approval and more in the hands of the developer on how soon they want to move dirt and get the project up and running.

Source: SVBJ




Thursday, November 16, 2023

San Jose luxury apartment complex on The Alameda may become affordable housing in 2024

In an interesting pivot, Catalyst Housing Group is trying to acquire Modera - The Alameda and convert the property into affordable housing. The big question is... why?

Modera is a 168-unit apartment building that is being marketed as luxury apartments. It's literally located next to a Whole Foods and is blocks away from the SAP Center, Diridon Station, and the rest of Downtown San Jose. The Alameda is also a great neighborhood in its own right. 

While I think for-sale affordable housing will be better for the neighborhood as residents will stay in the community longer than those in apartments, it raises a lot of questions as to why Modera is for sale in the first place. It it struggling to maintain a profit or do the owners just want to cash out? Have they lost optimism in the location after Google delayed their Downtown West plans? (It's very close to that as well).

If anyone has additional insights or perhaps even lives in the building, please post your thoughts in the comments or on X (Twitter).

Source: SVBJ


Monday, November 13, 2023

Owners of the San Jose Flea Market cutting office components entirely and dramatically downsizing housing plans

The original plan for the San Jose Flea Market next to San Jose's only existing BART station was for 3,450 residential units (yellow in image below), 3,400,000 SQFT of commercial (teal), a 5-acre urban market (red) and a 1.4 acre public park and open space (green areas). Grey is parking.

Sadly, the owners have changed direction and have completely eliminated office space from the project. The new plan will only have 940 homes and 45,500 SQFT of ground-floor retail space.

They are taking advantage of a loophole in the builder's remedy--which streamlines approval for certain residential projects designed to encourage more housing and development--to actually reduce the size of the project. It's a classic example of good-intentioned law (like rent control) causing the exact opposite effect. If it were not a builder's remedy, San Jose could more easily reject the project and require higher density.

San Jose needs to build about 60,000 housing units over the next eight years to keep up with demand and State requirement. By taking this many homes off the table, it will be a huge step back.

Given the proximity to some of the largest tech companies in the world and immediate access to BART, this site easily could have become another Santana Row over the next decade. Plus its a destination easy to get to from anywhere in the Bay Area. Now, with the scaled back plans it will greatly undermine this opportunity. It may not have the critical mass necessary to pull anyone into San Jose as a destination and will barely make a dent on our housing requirements.

If a dense redevelopment of the San Jose Flea Market site is truly off the table, the next best step would be to quadruple down in Downtown San Jose to hit our target. The infrastructure and space for dense development is already there. Eliminate as many fees and bureaucratic steps as possible for large-scale residential development and let's get that housing built!

Source: SVBJ, SVBJ(2)




Tuesday, November 7, 2023

Communications Hill expanding again with Phases 3 and 4

Communications Hill is a large master planned neighborhood in Central San Jose. It already has thousands of single family and multi-family homes and is famous for "the stairs," a unique urban hike with 252 stepps. (last two images below).

New development permits are seeking the construction of an additional 800+ multi-family units and commercial space in a site bound by Altino Boulevard, Hillsdale, and the Union Pacific railroad. KB Home South Bay would be the developer and it would span 140 acres.

Phases 3 and 4 of Communications Hill are supposed to include a mix of single-family detached homes, townhouses, and flats. The current scope of the project would include 505 homes, hundreds of apartment's across several five and six-story buildings, up to 32,873 of commercial/retail space, and 16,215 SQFT of amenity space.

There is already quite a bit of traffic along 87 due to Communication Hill so it will be interesting to see how well the expansion can be accommodated.

Source: SF YIMBY




Thursday, November 2, 2023

110 townhomes proposed in North San Jose at existing office site

As the office market struggles to recover, project after project has been pivoting to housing. The latest proposal is coming from SummerHill Homes and would involve replacing a two-story office building with 110 townhomes on a 5.1-acre site at 90 East Tasman Drive. 

This is a great location in the middle of the tech world's "Golden Triangle." It's in front of a VTA Light Rail stop and is a few stations away from either Levi's Stadium to the west or Milpitas BART and The Great Mall to the east.




While townhomes in many ways would certainly be an improvement over the current 1980s era office buildings at the current site, it's still a far cry from what Santa Clara is doing off of Tasman just over 1 mile away. That site is also 5-acres, but instead of townhomes it features a 23-story apartment building with 509 apartment and 191 senior housing units in a secondary tower. That is literally seven times the density of the San Jose proposal (see below).

The land here is extremely valuable. It would make sense to move a bit beyond townhomes at this point in North San Jose, especially with such great access to existing transit networks. 



Friday, October 27, 2023

Tamien Station broke ground

A 555-unit midrise project just broke ground in the Tamien neighborhood just south of Downtown San Jose. It's a partnership between the VTA, Core Companies, and Republic Urban Properties and will cost around $270 million to build across three phases.

Phase one is 135 affordable housing units with a 3,000 SQFT daycare. It'll have 20 studios, 44 one-bedroom, 37 two-bedroom, and 34 three-bedroom apartments.

One of the highlights of this project is it will have immediate access to a Caltrain, VTA Lightrail, and multiple VTA bus lines.

Source: SF Yimby







Tuesday, October 24, 2023

Project for 900 homes moves forward near Little Portugal and San Jose's next BART station

The city of San Jose just completed the environmental review for a mixed-use project close to Little Portugal at 1325 East Julian St. The project would have four 10-story buildings with 633 apartments, 127 reserved for affordable housing, an 11,500 SQFT of ground-floor retail. There would be a six-story building with 49 affordable homes and 2,500 SQFT of ground-floor retail. Lastly there is a six-story apartment building with 235 homes, all affordable housing plus 820 SQFT of ground-floor commercial space.

This is certainly a huge improvement over what is in the area now (see 2nd image below). However...



...this is a huge lost opportunity to build interesting buildings that tie into the Little Portugal neighborhood and BART station. This does not have to be expensive. Simple changing the color scheme and adding a little mosaic tile will add character and give San Jose a much needed dose of vibrancy.


You can find Portugese-influenced architecture interviewed all around the world. This is Senado Square in Macao (China):


Again, something is better than nothing but there are not many empty parcels left in San Jose. We'll be looking at these buildings for the next 50+ years, so we should make sure the design reflects the direction San Jose is headed as opposed to being another beige box.

Source: SVBJ

Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Affordable housing coming to Buena Vista neighborhood in Midtown San Jose

259 Meridian Avenue is the current site of a few 1-story commercial buildings built in 1958 that are tucked away behind W. San Carlos. This is the Buena Vista neighborhood or Midtown between Downtown San Jose, and Santana Row/Valley Fair (Uptown).

Developer Milestone Housing Group is proposing to build a 154-unit six-story project on this site. This developer specializes in affordable homes and teams with nonprofit organizations. The housing they build is typical for individuals and families that have a wide variety of specific needs, including veterans with disabilities, senior housing, and permanent housing for the unhoused.

This was just filed with the San Jose Planning Department, and there is no official ETA.

Source: The Merc




Thursday, September 7, 2023

Reimagining of Oakridge Mall in South San Jose as suburban village with two high-rises

There has been a lot of discussion around Santana Row on X recently, but other concepts similar to it have been in the works for a long time in the San Jose metro.

The architect behind a new apartment project (380 N. 1st Street, more on that tomorrow) also created an interesting concept for Westfield. Imagine what Oakridge mall's gigantic parking lot could be turned into. The renders below look very similar to a slightly small Santana Row that is directly attached to the mall.

The concept has two high-rises and several mid-rise buildings with 1,500 apartments, a hotel, 250,000 SQFT of office space, 25,000 SQFT of new retail space. Macy's would be turned into an industrial innovation center with maker spaces for artists.

It would be interesting to see Oakridge as a mixed-use destination. This would certainly give South San Jose a stronger sense of place as no high-rise projects exist there today. There are a few mixed-use proposals such as this one, but nothing of this scale.

Right now it is just a concept, but given Valley Fair's immense success in their last expansion, perhaps this is something that could see the light of day.

Source: Silicon Valley Joe from Skyscraper City