Advisory group ponders project’s impacts
Stakes are enormous as San Jose balances growth and the needs of residents
SAN JOSE >> A need for more affordable housing and a wide range of well-paying jobs tied to Google’s proposed downtown San Jose mega-campus dominated the discussion Monday night at an advisory group meeting about the project’s likely impacts.
The meeting was the first public airing before the Station Area Advisory Group of findings about the public’s concerns over the project’s potential impacts.
The prospect of thousands of wellpaid Google employees further boosting
already lofty housing prices in the area and potentially displacing residents needs to be addressed in the planning, presenters told the advisory
group, which is gathering community input to guide the development. The proposed Google transit village would
bring offices, homes, shops, restaurants and open spaces near the Diridon train station, where the search giant would employ 15,000 to 20,000 people.
“There has been a lot of discussion about the links between jobs and housing,” said Dave Javid, principal executive with Plan to Place, and a consultant to the Station Area Advisory Group, in presenting to the advisory group a summary of priorities raised by the public. “The idea is to be sure that lower-wage workers can find a place to live here.”
According to a summary of public priorities presented to the panel by Lori Severino, civic engagement program manager for the Diridon Station Area, “At least 25 percent of the new housing units should be affordable for moderate-, low-, very lowand extremely low-income residents.”
The public also wants to “maximize high-density housing in the Diridon Station Area,” as well in other transit corridors, including east San Jose, according to Severino’s summary.
A city staff report in 2014, well before Google started buying property in downtown San Jose in December 2016, estimated that potentially 2,600 residential units could be built in the immediate vicinity of the Diridon Station and SAP Center. The report is the most recent available regarding the transit station district.
The stakes are enormous as San Jose officials, along with Google, attempt to fashion a project that bolsters
the city’s economy without creating headaches for residents.
“We have heard loudly and clearly that the community is concerned about the potential impact Google coming into the downtown could have on housing affordability and displacement issues that San Jose and other cities in the area have been experiencing,” said Kim Walesh, San Jose’s economic development director. “We also have heard loudly and clearly the excitement over the vitality and amenities and the even stronger downtown that would be greeted by developing the Diridon area in a cohesive, master-planned manner.”
Some see the employment opportunities associated with the project as a boon for the area.
“We are very excited for the jobs to come,” said Nathan Ho, a Silicon Valley Leadership Group official and an advisory group member. “We are excited about the opportunities for an already vibrant downtown San Jose.”
Yet those same remarkable changes, if they materialize, could also force some people out of downtown San Jose due to gentrification and rising home prices, some panelists and community advocates warned.
Google attempted to reassure them that the company is listening to their concerns.
“The first six months of the city’s public engagement, and our own community meetings, have clarified the aspirations and concerns for future development as it relates to housing, displacement and job opportunities in San Jose,” said Javier Gonzalez, a Google public affairs manager. “We’ll continue to participate in these open dialogues and work with the community and
city over the coming years to address these priorities together.”
Some panelists said they believe unfair expectations are being placed on Google simply because of its massive size and profits.
“It’s absurd to put all of these things on Google,” said Charlie Faas, chief financial officer with San Jose State University.
Others agreed that Google can’t be a panacea.
“It’s not fair to ask Google to solve all of our problems,” said Karen Gillette, a San Jose resident, in comments to the panel. “The city needs to step up, too.”
Some in the audience, however, said the real problem is the lack of details — more than a year after the city of San Jose first voted to launch negotiations with Google regarding the development.
“People are not opposed to Google, they are opposed to Google without a plan,” said Huy Tran, a San Jose resident.
Jeffrey Buchanan, director of policy and research with Working Partnerships USA, and an advisory group member, believes it’s entirely possible to balance the often-conflicting goals of a development in order to benefit local residents, workers, the city and the company alike, and to ensure the project doesn’t create a community of haves and have nots.
“We don’t want a tale of two cities in San Jose,” Buchanan said. “Yes, people want to see Google come here, but we also want a good project. The two don’t have to be pitted against each other.”