Senior housing with memory care planned
75-unit complex near Google village site would have 23 units for assisted living
SAN JOSE >> A residential development that would cater to seniors and provide memory care services is being planned for downtown San Jose near the site of a transit village that Google has proposed, an up-and-coming developer said Tuesday.
The 75-unit project is being planned for the corner of West San Carlos Street and Gifford Avenue, according to Urban Catalyst, which teamed up to develop the senior housing with Thang Do, who is the principal executive at San Josebased Aedis Architects.
The senior housing is a short distance from Google’s proposed “Downtown West” transit-oriented village on the western edges of downtown San Jose near the Diridon train station and SAP Center.
“Delmas @ Downtown West will give the baby boomer generation in San Jose a place to age gracefully,” said Erik Hayden, principal executive and founder of Urban Catalyst.
Urban Catalyst was formed to spur projects at sites in downtown San Jose where development could benefit from tax advantages linked to opportunity zones.
The senior housing project, at 470 W. San Carlos St., would be built just down the block from where Urban Catalyst plans a 170room hotel at West San Carlos and Josefa streets.
The senior housing development is being planned for several parcels with addresses of 462 through 470 W. San Carlos St. and 321 through 329 Gifford Ave.
This sort of senior-oriented development is a rarity in downtown San Jose, according to Urban Catalyst.
“An assisted living, memory care facility like this hasn’t been built in downtown San Jose in nearly 35 years and is badly needed in our area at this point,” Hayden said.
Urban Catalyst has submitted what it describes as a very preliminary proposal to San Jose city planners.
“Absolutely this is a great idea and would be a very helpful project,” said Nick Goddard, a senior vice president with Colliers International, a commercial real estate firm.
“Great cities require not only a diversity of incomes but also a diversity of ages and culture.”
The Delmas @ Downtown West development is expected to provide 52 units oriented toward people in need of memory care and 23 units for assisted living.
A few blocks away, Google plans a transit-oriented community of office buildings, houses, shops, restaurants, hotel spaces, cultural hubs and entertainment centers, where the search giant could employ 25,000 people.
The proposed senior residences would rise next to a planned residential development called Madera @ Google Village that would offer 80 large units that Urban Catalyst is developing with Thang Do.
“Everyone deserves access to downtown San Jose’s amenities,” Do said. “Adding a senior living option to downtown is a great way to provide access for all age groups.”
Eventually, the senior development would offer amenities such as a hair salon, theater, dining room, larger rooms with a partial kitchen, a wellness center, library and outdoor courtyards on several floors, according to Urban Catalyst.
Delmas @ Downtown West also would fill a badly needed gap amid a brutal housing crisis in the Bay Area that has squeezed the pocketbooks of people in all age groups.
“The demand for this type of product is absolutely enormous,” Goddard said. “There is a severe shortage of senior housing.”