The Resident
News
VTA approves 5-acre land sale on W. San Carlos
By Stephen Baxter
The Valley Transportation Authority board agreed to sell more than 5 acres of land at W. San Carlos and Sunol streets at its May 1 meeting, but details of a proposed seven-building, four- to-12-story housing project for the site still must be considered by the San Jose City Council.
The transit authority is expected to receive roughly $18 million for the land, and developers are expected to pay $1 million more to improve transit near the development where a new light rail station is planned.
The VTA agreed to pay $1.8 million to clean up ground pollution on the 5.25-acre site, which was a bus yard and construction staging area before it was declared surplus.
More than 20 residents wrote letters to the VTA board and attended the meeting in the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors chambers to oppose the land sale.
Many said the final project would add drivers to an area already clogged with traffic, and that 12-story buildings would not fit a neighborhood with low building heights.
Developers and supporters billed the proposal as a transit-oriented development that purposely lacked new parking spaces to encourage light-rail use.
Developers from Barry Swenson Builder, Green Valley Corp. and Republic Urban Properties involved in the deal also hold options to buy land next to the site, which they would combine for an 8.3-acre project.
Michael Van Every, senior vice president of Republic Urban, told the board it was a fair deal in a declining housing market.
"This is the time to inspire development in a piece of land that is, frankly, blighted and has dirty soil," Van Every told the board.
VTA officials held six community meetings in March and April about the proposed project, but the meetings caused some confusion because their intent was only to inform residents and not to gather suggestions, VTA representatives said.
In 2004, the transit authority established a development program supporting projects that could add riders to its system, and issued a request for proposals to develop the land about three years ago. Many VTA board members indicated that the authority badly needed the money from the land sale, and that it would fund the system's project backlogs.
The transfer of money to the VTA is not contingent on the city approving the developer's proposed 700 or more housing units, but the developers could back out of the deal if the city approves a lower number that would make the project financially infeasible, VTA officials said.
San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, who is on the VTA board, indicated at the meeting that he would support a project with lower density when it is considered by the city council.
Reed said several times that the VTA board was simply selling land, not approving a development.
"There is no project; I've said that 100 times. There is no concept," Reed said.
An attorney for the Green Republic, Stephen Ledoux, said the company would work with San Jose planners to refine the project.
"The VTA asked for a high-density project. If we need to rework it, we'll rework it," Ledoux said.
Nonvoting VTA boardmember Ken Yeager, a county supervisor who opposed the scale of the buildings in the project, agreed that the transit authority "is in serious financial crisis."
A day after the board's decision, Yeager sent a letter to constituents.
"I feel really good about this outcome, because residents got to weigh in early."
