Big housing development is eyed near future BART station
Affordable homes are expected to be part of the proposed development
SAN JOSE >> Nearly 200 homes could sprout near the location of a proposed San Jose BART station east of the city’s downtown, planning documents show.
The residences are being planned for a site near the corner of North 27th Street and East Santa Clara Street that is across the way from the future 28th Street/little Portugal BART station and near the Five Wounds Church.
The project envisions the development of 198 residences on a site that has addresses ranging from 70 through 80 N. 27th St. in San Jose at a site near the Five Wounds. The num- ber of homes in the newest proposal is less than a prior concept for the site that suggested 205 homes would be built as part of the project.
The various BART stops in San Jose, including the 28th Street/little Portugal stop, are expected to spur considerable development next to the train hubs.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which is spearheading the efforts to bring BART service into San Jose and elsewhere in the South Bay, believes the 28th Street/little Portugal station could be a catalyst to develop an urban transit village in the vicinity.
“The proposed development is a high-density, transit-supportive mixed-use, multi-family rental project
located within the Five Wounds Urban Village,” attorney Melanie Griswold, an attorney and real estate broker who is guiding the project through the municipal approval process, wrote in the preliminary application for the project.
The residential development would bulldoze an existing commercial and retail building that totals 21,200 square feet.
The existing building contains a supplier of floral arrangements, table decorations, and other items for special events such as weddings. A Latin fitness dance studio also is located in the North 27th Street building.
The project is expected to contain five stories of residences on top of a ground floor space that would include
7,000 square feet of retail, according to the proposal.
The planning documents don’t identify the project’s developer. The current owner of the site is an affiliate of Palo Alto-based HC Investment Associates, county property records show.
Of the 198 homes that are planned for the 1.2-acre site, at least 10 to 20 will be affordable residences.
It’s also possible, however, that even more affordable homes could be included in the development, the city planning documents show.
“There is a strong likelihood that the project will be 100% affordable,” Griswold wrote in one of the documents submitted to the city.