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. Councilman Kevin Park was the only one who voted against it. Approval is key to breaking ground on the planned mixed-use housing complex at 2655 The Alameda, to revitalize a long-abandoned lot and create much-needed housing near the city's transit hub.
“The project will finally transform a blighted corner and 30+ year old eyesore into a beautiful mixed-use building for the community,” Kapital Partners developer Anjuli Nanda Habbas told the meeting.
Completion of this project will require a modification to the city's general plan. Councilman Anthony Becker said he is not in favor of repeatedly modifying the general development plan, but that in this case he would move the La Alameda project forward.
The developer plans to build a four-story mixed-use development with 39 homes and 1,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. Five of the homes, or 15 percent, will be designated as affordable housing to meet the city's requirements for new development. The community 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 acting as general contractor. Kapital plans to start construction early next year with the completion date expected at the end of 2025.
Santa Clara frequently faces public opposition whenever a high-density housing project is introduced. 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 sofas are often dumped, into much-needed housing. The site of the former gas station that closed in the 1980s sat empty 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.
Claudia Daw, a Santa Clara resident, 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 site's soil left over from the old gas station. Andrew Crabtree, director of community development, told the council that the contamination came from an earlier leak from an underground storage tank. He noted that an initial study found that with mitigation, pollutants will have a less than significant impact on the neighborhood.
Crabtree said the developer changed the design of the project based on public feedback to lower the height of the building and add an outdoor gathering space. He said the project is exempt from local parking requirements due to its proximity to transit centers, but offers 34 parking spaces and about 80 spaces for bikes.
Councilor Raj Chahal called on the developer to consider increasing the number of affordable homes to 20 percent. But before the developer could respond, Santa Clara City Attorney Glen Googins said councilmembers should avoid making demands to change the plan at this stage.
Councilor Park, while enamored with the building's location and design, said it could become another “off-campus dormitory” with too little retail space and too little parking.
“I feel like it's designed and geared toward students,” Park said. “If we ask 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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