San Jose shopping center redevelopment proposal gets fresh look
Revamp is in the works to add nearly 1,000 homes, shops, restaurants, offices to San Jose shopping complex
SAN JOSE >> Nearly 1,000 homes, along with new shops and restaurants, could sprout in southwest San Jose on the site of a well-known shopping center under a revamped proposal by a veteran development firm.
The dramatic redevelopment would occur on a section of the El Paseo de Saratoga shopping center at the intersection of Saratoga Avenue, Quito Road, and Lawrence Expressway in San Jose, according to plans revealed by the project’s developer on Wednesday.
“We are attempting to be an engaged neighbor, and we want to make this a project that will get everyone excited about it, and a project that will work for us,” said Allison Koo, managing director with Sand Hill Property Co., the site’s owner and the developer of the proposed redevelopment.
The major change from prior proposals is the removal of plans for a school that would have been part of the development.
Instead, the primary focus now will be on the development of 990 homes and 160,000 square feet of commercial space that is expected to be mainly retail and restaurants, and possible a small amount of flex office space.
“The housing is a big focus as a project and for the community,” Koo said.
The previous plans had called for 741 residential units, a large school, and 67,000 square feet of retail, restaurant, and office space.
“We understand the housing crisis that we are facing in this community and in the Bay Area,” Koo said. “We are attempting to solve some of the housing shortages. That is part of the huge pivot away from the school and towards housing.”
Sand Hill Property initially became involved with the site in early 2019 when a company affiliate paid $146.6 million for the shopping center at 1312 El Paseo de Saratoga, according to Santa Clara County public documents.
On March 16, Sand Hill Property extended its ownership of properties in the area when it bought two parcels across the street at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Lawrence Expressway in San Jose.
Through an affiliate, Sand Hill paid $6.9 million for two properties with addresses ranging from 1749 to 1757 Saratoga Ave., public documents filed on March 16 show.
The seller of the properties was an affiliate controlled by Kato Bros. The Kato group also owns other adjacent parcels that if combined could form a site large enough for new development.
The planning documents released by Sand Hill Property indicate a proposal by the company for a residential site at 1777 Saratoga Ave. at the general location of the just-bought properties.
Sand Hill Property also is including a 3.5-acre park on the site that will be accessible to everyone.
“The park will serve as an entrance to the project,” Koo said. “This district is really lacking in park spaces.”
The developer also is going to step back the buildings so the project blends into the existing neighborhood and doesn’t present a forbidding wall to people living nearby.
Instead, once completed, the property will feature a more terraced appearance, according to Koo.
The new development plans also show that much of the El Paseo shopping center would be retained even after the homes and new commercial buildings are constructed.
“We are trying to reinvigorate the property,” Koo said.
Buildings with tenants such as REI, Petco, Ulta Beauty, Tillys, European Wax Center, Pizza My Heart, and AMC Saratoga 14 movie theaters would be kept following the new development.
“It is a large site and we are trying to bring in new uses, new tenants, a new mix of uses that would help and support the existing center and drive more activity into the area,” Koo said.