The former site of a Planned Parenthood clinic could spawn into a mixed-use housing complex in San Jose’s Evergreen neighborhood — a project that is already raising some concerns from residents.
B3 Commercial LLC is proposing razing a 13,275-square-foot medical facility at 2470 Alvin Ave. and replacing it with an eight-story, 85-feet tall, 138-unit development with nearly 5,000 square feet of retail space on the .93-acre parcel.
“This project is the beginning of fulfilling the city’s vision of creating an urban village that has mixed-use development (and) vibrant and activated streets for the surrounding community,” said Michaelle Williams, a representative from San Jose-based architectural firm Studio Current. “We believe that this project will be a great catalyst for getting developments to this area.”
The existing single-story building has housed medical offices for more than a decade, including Planned Parenthood before it relocated its clinic several months ago to an office near the intersection of Tully Road and King Road, less than a third of a mile from the former site.
The current proposal calls for 24 studios, 83 one-bedroom units, 26 two-bedroom units and five three-bedroom apartments.
Williams said the project aims to enter the building permit and construction phase between 2026 and 2027.
Although the project does not currently conform to planning and zoning guidelines, the city is allowing it to move through the review process because the developer has invoked the builder’s remedy.
This provision in state law limits local governments without a certified housing element from denying projects that run afoul of planning and zoning regulations so long as the developments contain at least 20% affordable housing. Developers must have submitted a preliminary application while the city was out of compliance to lock in planning standards at that time and complete a full application within 180 days.
The project, however, faced some pushback from neighbors members at a Monday community meeting.
Although the proposal champions offering 20% affordable housing, the current neighborhood community commercial zoning normally requires residential developments to be 100% affordable housing, leaving questions about who would benefit in the neighborhood.
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“Our families don’t have a hundred-and-something thousand dollars in income,” said resident Charlotte Kimble. “A lot of our families are way below the poverty line so how would they qualify?”
Others lamented how the project, which would tower over every other building in the area, presented safety concerns with additional traffic and did not fit the current character of the neighborhood.
“This will stick out in the community like a sore thumb,” said resident Carlos DaSilva.
B3 Commercial submitted its preliminary application for the project on June 14 last year. While San Jose’s housing blueprint was officially certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development earlier this year, the city contends it was in “substantial compliance” on June 20, six days after the submission of the Alvin Avenue project.
San Jose also has told developers it will not process projects for preliminary applications under the builder’s remedy submitted after June 20, 2023.
It, however, remains to be seen if San Jose will ultimately sign off on this project.
Jason Lee, a project manager in the planning department, said the city is now questioning whether preliminary applications vest the builder’s remedy.
“While the city has provided a path forward for these projects to be reviewed,” Lee said, “it is ultimately uncertain if and how these projects will move forward.”
