Willow Glen Resident

News

First Covenant will be sold; new homes proposed on 1.2-acre site

By Alicia Upano

Los Gatos-based McCarthy Land Co. is looking to transform the First Covenant Church site on Coe Avenue into homesites.

The 1.2-acre lot has been on the market since last year, and is expected to sell for between $3.5 million and $5.5 million.

McCarthy wants to buy the property, but the sale is contingent upon city approval for the project, the Rev. Kevin Budd, said.

McCarthy Land Co. filed a preliminary review questionnaire on Jan. 17, asking if the city's planning department would support the demolition of the church and the construction of 13 to15 single-family homes on the site.

San Jose planner Avril Baty said the proposal was too dense given the city's General Plan. The city's blueprint allows up to eight units per acre in this area. Since the site is just over an acre, nine units could be built on the site and still conform to the General Plan, she said. Any projects that exceed those guidelines must prove to have "exceptional design."

Although no formal plans or permits have been filed, the developer is willing to bring the project down to nine homes, according to Erik Schoennauer, who is representing McCarthy Land Co.

"Our goal is to build a project of single-family detached homes that is compatible with the existing neighborhood," Schoennauer said.

If the developer proceeds, it would need building permits, and a special-use permit to demolish the 24,000-square-foot church.

The building has stood at 790 Coe Ave. for five decades. The church's congregation opted to sell the church due to declining enrollment, Budd said. The church currently rents space at Willow Glen Middle School's Little Theater for Sunday services, but still houses its administrative offices in the building. Iranian- and Spanish-speaking congregations also meet on the church's premises.

McCarthy Land Co. was not the only interested buyer, Budd said. Several churches have looked at the Coe Avenue site, but found the building needed work and parking was inadequate, he said.

After a sale is finalized, 45 percent of the money will be used to establish a new church facility for First Covenant Church and 45 percent will be used to begin new churches in Silicon Valley, Budd said. The remaining 10 percent, based on the Christian tenet of tithing, will be used to help the less fortunate.

For more information or questions regarding future use of the site, contact Erik Schoennauer at 408.947.7774.