Save old SJ City Hall Annex to house the homeless
Some months ago, Jim Salata, a well-respected, longtime San Jose businessman and owner of Garden City Construction, and John A. Sobrato, a well-known philanthropist, started a movement to oppose the proposed demolition of the old City Hall Annex building now owned by Santa Clara County. The county wants it demolished for 178 parking spaces. Salata and Sobrato instead propose renovating it for approximately 160 much-needed temporary housing units for the homeless. They are asking for a 10-year lease on the building while the county designs and commences the master plan for the site.
The county has resisted and challenged Salata with every possible obstacle it can put in his path. Salata has spent countless hours of his time to research and budget the project. Sobrato has committed to the funding for at least half the project, which would come in at half the county’s estimate of $70 million to $100 million. Salata and Sobrato’s preliminary proposal of $32 million would include all union trades at prevailing wages and be completed in one-fourth the time it would normally take the county to build.
The proposal would demonstrate that public-private projects can work. The county wants no part of it. It is an opportunity for the county to be bold, to think out of the box, to save a viable building from demolition and, most of all, to provide desperately needed housing for the homeless in a timely manner. But the county is saying “not in my backyard.” How many homeless individuals over the 10-year proposed plan would benefit from this opportunity? It can be a win-win for everyone concerned and a project that would benefit the community. Yet, our county Board of Supervisors is turning its back on this unique offer.
Housing cannot be built fast enough. Homelessness will continue to increase over the next 10 years. Why not embrace this project? Salata has been met with resistance from county staff for every request he has made for records and to tour the building with the appropriate trades to complete his bid. Despite every obstacle, Salata has persisted and come up with a comprehensive preliminary budget to meet accessibility requirements and environmental codes. He is the expert, even though he would recuse himself from actually taking on the project. He is passionate about making this happen and has gained the support from the city of San Jose, homeless advocates, business leaders and residents.
Chronic homelessness in our county is not going away. Our leaders need to do something about it and do it sooner rather than later. A 10-year lease on the building would still provide the county the opportunity to develop its long-term master plan for the area, even though there is no established timeline.
The county cites that the annex has outlived its useful life and is not suitable for reuse as transitional housing. That is not true. Salata and Sobrato’s proposal includes complete renovation of the entire building; they can start turning the building around in a matter of months. This is a wasted opportunity for the county to do good. The location is perfect: close to services and transportation, while not encroaching on schools or residents in the area.
The public puts confidence in our elected supervisors as the steward for public properties. This should be a guideline for similar projects to follow. Yet, when a rare opportunity has presented itself, the county is ready to waste the opportunity for the sake of creating unnecessary parking spaces. Where is the leadership we so desperately need?