San Jose Commission Considers Plan For Hundreds Of Homes

By San Jose Spotlight Staff:

A developer’s plans to build more than 800 homes and a commercial building near the Berryessa BART station will be weighed by the San Jose Planning Commission on Wednesday.

Rob Facchino of Terracommercial Real Estate Corporation is requesting the city rezone his 13-acre plot of land at 1655 Berryessa Road to allow for homes and commercial space to be built there. A completed environmental impact report will also be considered for approval.

The rezoning and environmental report approval would clear the way for Facchino to develop a combination of up to 820 homes, apartments, condos and townhouses, along with 455,000 square feet of commercial space for an office or retail, and a nearly one-acre park on the parcel.

The first phase of the project, which is also being considered by the planning commission, would include 24 single-family homes, as well as 24 townhomes which would be built around the perimeter of the site. The site is currently occupied by businesses, including a landscaping company.

The development, which is about a quarter-mile from the BART station, would contribute to major changes planned for the area, including the shrinking of a longstanding flea market site across the street, where thousands of homes are planned along with offices, retail and restaurants.

The projects reflect city leaders’ desires to see denser housing and commercial development, and mixed-use, walkable neighborhoods known as urban villages.

Following the planning commission hearing for the Facchino proposal, the San Jose City Council will make the final decision on the rezoning in June. If the rezoning and environmental report are approved by the council, future phases of the development would only require city planning director approval.

Erik Schoennauer, a lobbyist and land use consultant working on the project, said it could take five to six years to build out completely. While he expects the project to eventually meet the upper limits of the total number of homes that can be developed in the area, it’s still unclear how much of the allowed commercial space will be built.

“We are subject to the marketplace, so we’re going to have to see what the market wants to build,” Schoennauer told San José Spotlight. “We’ve environmentally cleared a large amount of square footage and a wide range of uses so we can be as nimble as possible to attract an investor on that site.”

He said theoretically, the space could be used for an office building, retail, hotel or even an assisted living facility.

“This will ultimately become a new urban neighborhood that has good access to transit, good access to grocery stores, retail and dining, and good access to neighborhood parks and creek trails,” Schoennauer said. “It’s going to be a dynamite neighborhood where people will want to live and will want to visit.”

The San Jose Planning Commission meets Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

This story will be updated.

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