Rose Garden Resident

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Three-story building proposed to blend with historic Cal-Pak site

By Mary Gottschalk

Businessman John Nguyen has submitted a proposal to San Jose's building department for a three-story structure at 746 The Alameda, on the corner of Bush Street.

"This is still very preliminary. It's not going to happen for awhile," Nguyen said when asked about a timetable.

His application is for a 10,534-square-foot structure with retail spaces at street level and eight single-family, attached residential units above.

The building on that site is single story and vacant. It has been a machine shop and used for other industrial purposes in the past.

The 0.24-acre site is next to the brick building that once housed the California Packing Corporation district manager's office. That structure, at 734 The Alameda, was designated a San Jose City Landmark in 2006.

Nguyen says that structure, as well as others in the neighborhood, will be taken into consideration in the design of his development.

"Ours is a very small project," he says. "We want to make sure it blends in with the neighborhood. We're not going to build anything that's going to be out of whack.

"We're still in the preliminary stages, so there is time for input."

Nguyen says he expects feedback from San Jose's planning department as well as the neighborhood.

"I have a soft spot in my heart for The Alameda," he says.

Pat Forst isn't surprised by his sentiment.

"He started here and told me he wanted to buy property on The Alameda," she says.

Forst, a commercial broker and leasing agent, rented office space in her building at 1885 The Alameda to Nguyen for a year, starting in August 2001.

In addition to the property at 746 The Alameda, Forst says Nguyen also owns the vacant building at 850 The Alameda. That building formerly housed Miracle Auto Painting, which vacated it in December 2004.