By Natalie Hanson. San Jose Spotlight
A decades-old blighted corner that once housed a gas station near Santa Clara University will be transformed into high-density housing.
The Santa Clara City Council voted 6-1 earlier this week to approve a new housing development near the university. Councilmember Kevin Park was the lone vote against. The approval is key to starting construction on the mixed-use housing complex planned at 2655 The Alameda, to revitalize a long-abandoned lot and create much-needed housing near the city’s transit hub.
“The project will ultimately transform a blighted corner and 30-year-old eyesore into a beautiful mixed-use building for the community,” Kapital Partners developer Anjuli Nanda Habbas said at the meeting.
Completing this project will require an amendment to the city's general plan. Councilman Anthony Becker said he is not in favor of repeatedly amending the general development plan, but in this case it would move the Alameda project forward.
The developer plans to build a four-story mixed-use complex with 39 units and 1,500 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Five of the units, or 15 percent, will be designated as affordable housing to meet city requirements for new development. The complex is within walking distance of the university, bus routes and the Santa Clara Caltrain station.
Mountain View-based Kenneth Rodriguez & Partners designed the building, with Swenson Builders serving as general contractor. Kapital plans to begin construction early next year, with a completion date targeted for late 2025.
Santa Clara frequently faces public opposition whenever a high-density housing project is proposed. But the Alameda development won over city leaders. They praised its architectural design and plan to transform a triangle-shaped vacant lot, where trash and couches are often dumped, into much-needed housing. The site of the former gas station that closed in the 1980s remained vacant until Kapital bought the less-than-half-acre property in 2021, for $1 million.
The Santa Clara Planning Commission voted last month to recommend approval of the development. Shreya Chokshi of Catalyze SV, which advocates for more affordable housing, said the organization supports the project.
Santa Clara resident Claudia Daw and several others spoke at the meeting in opposition to the project. Daw said the building is too tall at four stories. City staff said the building's height is comparable to nearby student housing and is consistent with infill requirements under state law.
Daw said she was also concerned about a 2004 finding of contaminants in the soil at the site left over from the former gas station. Andrew Crabtree, director of community development, told the council that the contamination came from a previous leak from an underground storage tank. He noted that an initial study found that with mitigation, the contaminants will have a less than significant impact on the neighborhood.
Crabtree said the developer changed the project’s design based on public feedback to reduce the building’s height and add an outdoor gathering space. He said the project is exempt from local parking requirements because of its proximity to transit hubs, but offers 34 parking spaces and about 80 bike spaces.
Councilman Raj Chahal asked the developer to consider increasing the number of affordable housing units to 20 percent. But before the developer could respond, Santa Clara City Attorney Glen Googins said council members should avoid making demands to modify the plan at this stage.
Councilman Park, while enamored with the building’s location and design, said it could become another “off-campus dormitory” with too little commercial space and too little parking.
“I feel like it’s designed and targeted at students,” Park said. “If we’re asking for a general plan amendment, it should be something better than what the general plan offers. I don’t see any benefit to the community here.”
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