August 1, 2022
City of San Jose
200 E. Santa Clara Street
San José, CA 95113
Re: Proposed Blossom Hill Station Project
Dear City Council and City Attorney:
The California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund (CaRLA) submits this letter to inform San José City Council that they have an obligation to abide by all relevant state housing laws when evaluating the proposed Blossom Hill Station Project. The Housing Accountability Act (GOV 65589.5) requires approval of zoning and general plan compliant projects unless indings can be made regarding speci ic, objective, written health and safety hazards.
As you are well aware, California remains in the throes of a statewide crisis-level housing shortage. New housing such as this is a public bene it; it will bring increased tax revenue, new customers to local businesses, decarbonization in the face of climate crisis, but most importantly it will reduce displacement of existing residents into homelessness or carbon-heavy car commutes.
CaRLA is a 501(c)3 non-pro it corporation whose mission includes advocating for increased access to housing for Californians at all income levels, including low-income households.
Consistent with the general plan, the proposed mixed-use development will provide badly needed housing and enable the achievement of economic growth while fostering the development of a vibrant and walkable urban setting. In addition, the proposed development is compatible and aesthetically harmonious with surrounding development and neighborhood character.
While no one project will solve the regional housing crisis, the proposed 605 Blossom Hill Road development is the kind of housing San José needs to mitigate displacement, provide shelter for its growing population, and arrest unsustainable housing price appreciation. You may learn more about CaRLA atwww.carlaef.org.
Sincerely,
Dylan Casey
CaRLA Executive Director
Sincerely,
Courtney Welch
CaRLA Director of Planning and Investigation
2 of 2
Sonja Trauss
Executive Director
YIMBY Law
2 This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This is another important project that mixes affordable housing, retail, & market-rate housing on a walkable site. It's also right next to a VTA light-rail station and Canoas Creek Trail.
Catalyze SV members offered a lot of feasible suggestions to the developer two years ago and the developer didn’t take any of them. I’d like to ask you to incorporate the main ideas, such as:
a) provide free VTA transit passes to residents to make the transit stop here a greater success b) increase the sustainability of the project to a higher-level of environmental standard such as LEED Platinum c) activate the buildings & public space further to make it safer and more vibrant for residents & transit riders I would like to add that I live in affordable housing near transit. The free VTA SmartPass included with my apartment has been an incentive to use VTA for many trips even though I own a car. This helps reduce my carbon footprint even though I still need to use my car to haul materials for my business. Having the free pass means I don't worry about whether it's cheaper to pay for the gas than the fare, or if I'm going to ride enough to justify buying a monthly pass.
The best developments are ones in which community members like me offer constructive ideas for how we can make them better for everyone and you ensure these ideas are incorporated. Thanks for your engagement on these two projects!
Sincerely,
Kathryn Hedges
San Jose, CA 95112
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Catalyze SV members offered a lot of feasible suggestions to the developer two years ago and the developer didn’t take any of them. I’d like to ask you to incorporate the main ideas, such as:
a) provide free VTA transit passes to residents to make the transit stop here a greater success b) increase the sustainability of the project to a higher-level of environmental standard such as LEED Platinum c) activate the buildings & public space further to make it safer and more vibrant for residents & transit riders The best developments are ones in which community members like me offer constructive ideas for how we can make them better for everyone and you ensure these ideas are incorporated. Thanks for your engagement on these two projects!
Sincerely,
Courtney
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
Catalyze SV members offered a lot of feasible suggestions to the developer two years ago and the developer didn’t take any of them. I’d like to ask you to incorporate the main ideas, such as:
a) provide free VTA transit passes to residents to make the transit stop here a greater success b) increase the sustainability of the project to a higher-level of environmental standard such as LEED Platinum c) activate the buildings & public space further to make it safer and more vibrant for residents & transit riders The best developments are ones in which community members like me offer constructive ideas for how we can make them better for everyone and you ensure these ideas are incorporated. Thanks for your engagement on these two projects!
Sincerely,
Milo Trauss
right next to a VTA light-rail station and Canoas Creek Trail.
Catalyze SV members offered a lot of feasible suggestions to the developer two years ago and the developer didn’t take any of them. I’d like to ask you to incorporate the main ideas, such as:
a) provide free VTA transit passes to residents to make the transit stop here a greater success b) increase the sustainability of the project to a higher-level of environmental standard such as LEED Platinum c) activate the buildings & public space further to make it safer and more vibrant for residents & transit riders The best developments are ones in which community members like me offer constructive ideas for how we can make them better for everyone and you ensure these ideas are incorporated. Thanks for your engagement on these two projects!
Sincerely,
Eamonn Gormley
Sent from my iPhone
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
right next to a VTA light-rail station and Canoas Creek Trail.
Catalyze SV members offered a lot of feasible suggestions to the developer two years ago and the developer didn’t take any of them. I’d like to ask you to incorporate the main ideas, such as:
a) provide free VTA transit passes to residents to make the transit stop here a greater success b) increase the sustainability of the project to a higher-level of environmental standard such as LEED Platinum c) activate the buildings & public space further to make it safer and more vibrant for residents & transit riders The best developments are ones in which community members like me offer constructive ideas for how we can make them better for everyone and you ensure these ideas are incorporated. Thanks for your engagement on these two projects!
Sincerely,
Daniel Strokis
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.
This message is from outside the City email system. Do not open links or attachments from untrusted sources.