Transit village could reshape neighborhood
Project is walking distance to proposed BART station in Five Wounds Church area
SAN JOSE >> A transit village may sprout near a future BART station east of downtown San Jose at a site that would be just two train stops away from a big development being fashioned by tech titan Google.
The proposal calls for hundreds of new residential units as well as retail at the 2.8-acre site, within walking distance of the BART stop planned near the intersection of North 28th and East Santa Clara streets.
“This sort of project is exactly what is being planned when people talk about a transit-oriented development,” said Scott
Knies, executive director of the downtown San Jose Association. “Look at what is happening around the Berryessa BART station. The next station up the line is the 28th Street Five Wounds BART stop.”
An estimated 332 residential
units and slightly more than 13,000 square feet of retail would be built as part of the project near the 28th Street and Santa Clara BART station, according to plans on file with city staffers.
“This is a great infill site,” said Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use and planning consultancy. “The people in this community are YIMBYs.” YIMBY
stands for “yes in my backyard,” a development-friendly stance that differs from a slow- or no-growth NIMBY, or “not in my backyard,” philosophy.
The location, via BART, would be less than an hour away from downtown Oakland, slightly more than an hour from San Francisco’s busy Financial District, and just one stop away from a proposed downtown San Jose BART station and two stops from a future BART stop at the Diridon train station.
Diridon Station is also next to a transit-oriented community on the western edges of downtown San Jose that’s been proposed by Google, which plans a mixed-use village of offices, homes, retail, restaurants and open spaces that would eventually accommodate 15,000 to 20,000 of the search giant’s employees.
“You will see more proposals coming in like what is planned for the Five Wounds village location,” Knies said. “This is exactly what is expected to happen with this kind of transit infrastructure.”
When the BART station near 28th and Santa Clara streets is complete, riders will walk through a town square that would be part of the transit stop.
The 1325 E. Julian property, at present, is owned by a San Josebased partnership, according to Santa Clara County assessment records. The city planning files, though, didn’t indicate whether the current owners also intend to develop the proposed transit village. The proposal could be revised, since the plans are in very preliminary stage.
“The challenge is to develop this in a thoughtful manner and get community support,” Knies said. “The Five Wounds Church area is a great neighborhood.”