S.J. housing tower plan doubles height, homes

A housing tower planned for a downtown San Jose site next to the transit village proposed by Google has doubled in height, stories, and the number of homes, documents filed with city officials show.

The residential highrise is called Montgomery Plaza 1 and is being proposed by Roygbiv Real Estate Development for a site at 565 Lorraine Ave. in downtown San Jose.

The proposal shows plans for a slender tower that would sprout on the corner of South Montgomery Street and Lorraine Avenue adjacent to a transit-oriented neighborhood called Downtown West that Google is developing.

“Most of the units in Montgomery Plaza 1 are going to be affordable housing,” said Kurt Anderson, principal executive with Anderson Architects. The architectural firm designed the tower and is working with the developer on the proposed residential tower.

Roygbiv Real Estate has obtained a contract to buy the corner property, according to Anderson. Roygbiv also has proposed other housing towers in downtown San Jose.

Among the key components of the proposed tower, comparing the newest proposal with the original plans:

— 126 residential units as the current number of homes, up from the original 54 housing units.

— 213 feet for the height compared with 110 feet as the previous height.

— 21 residential levels compared with the original plan for nine levels.

“The city raised the height limits so we were able to increase the number of stories and the number of residences,” Anderson said.

The proposal also shows that the tower will include ground-floor retail such as a cafe.

“This is a very challenging site to develop,” said Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use consultancy. “It will be interesting to see how the parking is handled in the proposed development.”

The highrise will feature a rooftop deck totaling 4,100 square feet, the city plan sets show.

Amenities on the roof are expected to include a large terrace, a fitness center, a barbecue site, seating areas and a covered section, according to the proposal.

“The rooftop deck will have great views,” Anderson said. “People on the roof will be able to see the Valley, the hills, the planes landing at the airport.”

The tower’s developers also believe its location across the street from the Google transit village could buoy the project’s prospects.

“It will be incredibly beneficial to be right next to

the Google project,” Anderson said.

Google is planning a transit-oriented neighborhood of offices, homes, hotel rooms, shops, and restaurants where the search giant could employ up to 20,000 workers.

Up to 83% of the 126 residences are expected to be affordable, according to Anderson.

The Downtown West development also could have numerous workers employed in building maintenance, as well as in the retail or hotel sites.

“The housing could also help Google fill a need for the people who will be working in the transit village,” Anderson said.