Housing, grocery, retail eyed at big north San Jose site
SAN JOSE >> Hundreds of homes and a grocery store could sprout on a large north San Jose site next to major tech hubs in the city and near the banks of the Guadalupe River, plans on file with city officials show.
The project by a Texasbased developer is being planned for a site near the corner of Montague Expressway and Seely Avenue, across the street from the Cadence Design Systems headquarters.
The site totals roughly 11.2 acres and is primarily empty land, although several structures and the Tsukuda fruit stand are located on the property.
“This is a new neighborhood in north San Jose,” said Erik Schoennauer, a San Jose-based land-use and property consultant who is advising the developer. “The goal is to establish a strong neighborhood context for this project.”
Hanover Co., based in Houston and with a regional office in Danville, has proposed the mixed-use project, which has an approximate address of 2620 Seely Ave. in San Jose, city documents show.
The development would consist of 735 residences that would be built in two phases, according to the preliminary proposal on file with the city.
The retail would total roughly 33,000 square feet and would be located at three sites in the project, the preliminary proposal shows.
The largest retail component would be a potential grocery store or other retail totaling 27,000 square feet. Two other much smaller retail sites in the development would each total about 3,000 square feet.
“To make the apartment living attractive, we would like to make more retail and restaurant options available for the residents,” Schoennauer said. “The neighborhood also would have amenities such as the Guadalupe River Trail. We will likely contribute to the expansion of the neighborhood park.”
Under the preliminary plans, the project’s first phase would include a multi-story building totaling 367 residences. The second phase would consist of 368 residences.
“This site has long been planned for residential,” Schoennauer said. “The city’s plans for north San Jose placed a residential overlay on this site. Our goal is to just implement the plans.”
It wasn’t clear from the Hanover proposal whether the grocery store or other large retail component would be built in the first phase or a subsequent phase.
Hanover Co. has developed two modern apartment complexes in San Jose, according to Schoennauer:
• Cannery Park, a 403unit complex that’s open and fully leased in Japantown at North 10th Street and East Taylor Street.
• A development of 249 apartments and 26,000 square feet of retail at Julian Street and Stockton Street near the Diridon train station in downtown San Jose. This project is still under construction.
“Hanover is very committed to San Jose,” Schoennauer said.
At the north San Jose proposed development site, Schoennauer believes that housing is badly needed.
“The housing crisis has not abated,” Schoennauer said. “We need more housing of all types. We just hope to anchor the immediate neighborhood with a nice mixed-use development.”