Affordable housing plans move forward

Two sites just east of downtown are bought for project of 200-plus units

SAN JOSE >> Two residential project sites that could produce more than 200 units of affordable housing are being eyed just east of downtown San Jose near a future BART stop in the Bay Area’s largest city.

A significant step forward in the completion of the affordable homes has arrived with the purchase of one of the two sites by a residential developer, according to Santa Clara County property documents filed Nov. 6.

The two sites are located near East Santa Clara Street and North 21st Street, according to public records and the webpage of First Community Housing.

“This is a great area for affordable housing,” said Geoffrey Morgan, president of San Jose-based First Community Housing, whose principal mission is the development of affordable residences. “You have services and transit. It’s pedestrian-friendly.”

First Community Housing, acting through an affiliate called Stone North, has bought a property at 995 E. Santa Clara St., county documents show. The firm paid $5.5 million for the parcel, according to property records. Housing Trust Silicon Valley provided the financing for the purchase.

“It’s important for affordable housing to be dispersed throughout the city of San Jose so that it is not just clustered in the downtown core or near Diridon Station,” said Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use and planning consultancy.

South Bay Sports Training & Batting Cages currently operates on the 995 E. Santa Clara site, which is roughly 0.4 acres.

First Community Housing already owns an adjacent parcel at 21 N 21st St. That lot, which is about 0.5 acres, is vacant.

“We want to expand our supply of housing where it is needed the most,” Morgan said. “We are getting some good feedback about these projects. We are very excited to have the opportunity to continue to serve the Roosevelt Park neighborhood.”

The two adjacent housing sites that First Community now owns are east of downtown and a short distance from a BART station slated to rise near Five Wounds Church.

“This is a great location,” Staedler said. “Every bit of affordable housing helps.”

Together, the projects would create 205 affordable residences once completed:

• At 995 E. Santa Clara St., First Community Housing intends to develop 125 affordable residences, Morgan said. This development is tentatively being called The Villages at Roosevelt.

• The 21 N. 21st project would consist of 80 affordable residences, according to Morgan. The potential name for that development is Roosevelt Park Apartments.

“Everyone understands how severe the housing crisis is right now,” Morgan said. “People are being generally supportive of our projects.”