COUNCIL AGENDA:
FILE:
ITEM:
9/23/25
25-1010
10.1(a)
CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
Applicant Jorge Barriga
Location Southwest corner of the intersection of
Almaden Avenue and Grant Street (655
Almaden Avenue; APN 264-34-072)
Existing Zoning A(PD) Planned Development Zoning District, File No. PDC90-011
Proposed Zoning CN Commercial Neighborhood
General Plan Neighborhood/Community Commercial
Council District 3
Historic Resource Candidate City Landmark; Contributing Structure to the Guadalupe-Washington
Conservation Area
Annexation Date March 27, 1850
CEQA Determination of Consistency with the Envision
San José 2040 General Plan EIR (Resolution
No. 76041) and the Envision San José General
Plan Supplemental EIR (Resolution No.
77617), and Addenda thereto.
A
PPLICATION SUMMARY:
Conforming Rezoning from the A(PD) Planned Development Zoning District to the CN Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District on an approximately 0.62-gross-acre site located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Almaden Boulevard and Grant Street (655 Almaden Avenue; APN 264-34-072).
RECO
MMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council:
Approve an ordinance rezoning certain real property of an approximately 0.62-gross- acre site located on the southwest corner of Almaden Avenue and Grant Street (655 Almaden Avenue) from the A(PD) Planned Development Zoning District to the CN Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District.
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________________________________________________________________ _
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 2, 2025
Subject: File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
PROJECT DATA
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY
General Plan Designation Neighborhood/Community Commercial Consistent Inconsistent
Consistent Policies Implementation Policies IP-1.1, IP-1.7, IP-1.8, IP-8.2, and IP-8.3
SURROUNDING USES
General Plan Land
Use
Zoning Existing Use
North N/A N/A Interstate 280
South Mixed-Use
Neighborhood
Mixed-Use
Neighborhood
Multifamily residences
East Residential
Neighborhood
R-1-8 Single-Family
Residence
Detached Single-Family
Residence
West Mixed-Use
Neighborhood
Mixed-Use
Neighborhood
Detached Single-Family
Residence
RELATED APPROVALS
Date Action
N/A No previous approvals.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
S
ite Description and Surrounding Uses
The subject site is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of Almaden Avenue and Grant Street (Exhibit A). The site is currently developed with a former bakery building that is a Candidate City Landmark and a Contributing Structure to the Guadalupe-Washington Conservation Area, and is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site is also improved with a surface parking lot accessible from Grant Street and another surface lot behind the building, with an entrance from Almaden Avenue. Adjacent uses include Interstate 280 to the north, multifamily residences to the south, and single-family detached houses to the east and west. There is currently no application on file for the development of the site.
Background
On April 22, 2025, the applicant, Jorge Barriga, filed an application for a conforming rezoning of an approximately 0.62-gross-acre site from the A(PD) Planned Development Zoning District (File No. PDC90-011) to the CN Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District. The rezoning to the CN Zoning District would bring the site into conformance with the General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram land use designation of Neighborhood/Community Commercial. It would allow a broader range of
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 2, 2025
Subject: File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
commercial uses than the bakery and incidental retail uses permitted by the existing Planned Development Zoning District.
ANALYSIS
The pr
oject was analyzed for conformance with the following: 1) the Envision San José 2040 General Plan; 2) the Zoning Ordinance; and 3) the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Envision San José 2040 General Plan Conformance
The subject site is designated Neighborhood/Community Commercial on the Land Use/ Transportation Diagram of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan (Exhibit B).
This designation supports a very broad range of commercial activity, including commercial uses that serve the communities in neighboring areas, such as neighborhood serving retail and services and commercial/professional office development. Neighborhood / Community Commercial uses typically have a strong connection to and provide services and amenities for the nearby community and should be designed to promote that connection with an appropriate urban form that supports walking, transit use and public interaction. General office uses, hospitals and private community gathering facilities are also allowed in this designation.
The s
ubject property is located within the Guadalupe-Washington Conservation Area.
The existing building on the site, which formerly housed Roma Bakery, is a Contributing Structure to the Conservation Area, a Candidate City Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Analysis: The existing A(PD) Planned Development Zoning District for the site limits the allowed uses to a bakery and incidental retail sales. The CN Zoning District would allow a broader variety of commercial uses that are consistent with the Neighborhood/ Community Commercial land use designation. The rezoning will preserve the commercial use of the property. It will not affect the historic bakery building, as it does not approve any modifications to the building or new construction on the site.
The r
ezoning is consistent with the following General Plan goal and policies:
1. Goal IP-8: Use rezoning of property to directly implement the land use designations as
shown on the Land Use/Transportation Diagram. By City Council policy, the rezoning of property should ordinarily conform to the Envision General Plan.
Analysis: The proposed CN Zoning District conforms to the Neighborhood/Community Commercial land use designation, consistent with the goal.
2. Implementation Policy IP-1.1 Land Use/Transportation Diagram: Use the Envision General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram designations to indicate
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 2, 2025
Subject: File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
the general intended land use, providing flexibility to allow for a mix of land uses, intensities, and development forms compatible with a wide variety of neighborhood contexts and to designate the intended roadway network to be developed over the timeframe of the Envision General Plan. Use the Zoning designation to indicate the appropriate type, form, and height of development for particular properties.
Analysis: The subject site’s land use designation of Neighborhood/Community Commercial is intended for commercial development that serves the surrounding community. Future development would be subject to the development standards outlined in the San José Zoning Code for the CN Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District and historic preservation requirements as appropriate.
3. Implementation Policy IP-1.7 Land Use/Transportation Diagram: Ensure that proposals to rezone and pre-zone properties conform to the Land Use/Transportation Diagram, and advance Envision General Plan vision, goals and policies.
Analysis: The CN Zoning District is a conforming district to the Neighborhood/ Community Commercial land use designation, pursuant to Section 20.120.110 of the San José Municipal Code.
4. Implementation Policy IP-1.8 Land Use/Transportation Diagram: Use standard Zoning Districts to promote consistent development patterns when implementing new land use entitlements. Limit use of the Planned Development Zoning process to unique types of development or land uses which cannot be implemented through standard Zoning Districts, or to sites with unusual physical characteristics that require special consideration due to those constraints.
Analysis: The subject site would be rezoned to the CN Zoning District, which is a standard zoning district. The CN Zoning District is intended for neighborhood- serving commercial uses without a pedestrian emphasis, which is appropriate for the site’s location just south of Highway 280, and small corner commercial establishments like the subject site. The rezoning would retain the commercial orientation of the subject site and allow commercial uses that are compatible with the surrounding development pattern, which primarily consists of single-family and multifamily residential uses.
5. Implementation Policy IP-8.2 - Zoning: Use the City’s conventional zoning districts, contained in its Zoning Ordinance, to implement the Envision General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram. These districts include a range of allowed land uses, development intensities, and standards within major land use categories (residential, commercial and industrial) together with zoning districts for other land uses such as mixed-use and open space. The various ranges of allowed use and development intensity correspond generally to the respective Envision General Plan land use designations, while providing greater detail as to the appropriate land uses and form of development.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 2, 2025
Subject: File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
Analysis: Any future development at the subject site would be required to conform to the development standards of the CN Zoning District. The allowed uses and development standards for the CN Zoning District generally correspond to the Neighborhood/Community Commercial land use designation and would implement the goals and policies of the Envision General Plan.
6. Implementation Policy IP-8.3: For the review of privately or public initiated rezoning applications, consider the appropriateness of the proposed zoning district in terms of how it will further the Envision General Plan goals and policies as follows:
a. Align with the Envision General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram designations.
b. Retain or expand existing employment capacity.
c. Preserve existing retail activity.
d. Avoid adverse land use incompatibilities.
e. Implement the Envision General Plan goals and policies including those for Urban Design.
f. Support higher density land uses consistent with the City’s transition to a more urban environment.
g. Facilitate the intensification of Villages and other Growth Areas consistent with the goal of creating walkable, mixed-use communities. h. Address height limits, setbacks, land use interfaces and other design standards to provide for the intensification of land uses adjacent to already developed areas.
Anal
ysis: As discussed above, the CN Zoning District conforms to the Neighborhood/Community Commercial land use designation in the General Plan.
The A(PD) Planned Development Zoning District for the site only allows bakery and incidental retail sales, whereas the CN Zoning District allows a broader range of neighborhood-serving commercial uses, which will expand the potential for employment on the site.
The existing building and the larger surface parking lot on the site are oriented north toward Highway 280, which will minimize incompatibilities with residential properties located to the east, west, and south. Although no new construction or alteration to the existing building is planned, future modifications or uses will be required to be consistent with General Plan policies for the conservation of structures of lesser historic significance.
7. Land Use
Policy LU-13.2: Preserve candidate or designated landmark buildings, structures and historic objects, with first priority given to preserving and rehabilitating them for their historic use, second to preserving and rehabilitating them for a new use, or third to rehabilitation and relocation on-site.
8. Analysis: The former Roma Bakery on the subject site is a Candidate City Landmark. The subject rezoning does not include alteration of the bakery building or new construction, although any future development plans will be
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 2, 2025
Subject: File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
required to be consistent with General Plan policies for the preservation of historic resources.
Zoni
ng Ordinance Conformance
The rezoning to the CN Commercial Neighborhood Zoning District (Exhibit C) conforms with Table 20-270 in Section 20.120.110 of the San José Municipal Code, which identifies the CN Zoning District as a conforming district to the General Plan Land Use/ Transportation Diagram land use designation of Neighborhood/Community Commercial.
Use Regulations
The CN Zoning District would allow the property to be used and developed in accordance with the allowable uses in Table 20-90 in Section 20.40.100, which includes a broad range of commercial uses. This rezoning would facilitate the future redevelopment of the site to be consistent with the General Plan land use designation.
Development Standards
Table 20-100 in Section 20.40.200 establishes the development standards for the CN Zoning District. The subject property has an area of approximately 27,125 square feet, which is consistent with the 6,000-square-foot minimum lot size required in the CN Zoning District. Any future development would be required to adhere to the development standards set forth in Table 20-100 and all other applicable Municipal Code regulations, as well as standards for historic properties. Any future development may also need to be evaluated under CEQA.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (CEQA)
P
ursuant to Section 15168(c)(2) of the CEQA Guidelines, as stated in the Determination of Consistency prepared for the project, the City of San José has determined that the project is pursuant to, in furtherance of, and within the scope of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan program, the impacts of which were analyzed and disclosed in the Final Environmental Impact Report for the Envision San José 2040 General Plan, for which findings were adopted by City Council Resolution No. 76041 on November 1, 2011 and Supplemental EIR adopted by City Council Resolution No. 77617 on December 15, 2015, and addenda thereto. The FPEIR, SEIR, and Addenda were prepared for the comprehensive update and revision of all elements of the City of San José General Plan, including an extension of the planning timeframe to the year 2040.
No new or more significant environmental impacts beyond those identified in the Envision San José 2040 General Plan Final Program Environmental Impact Report (FPEIR), Supplemental EIR (SEIR), and Addenda have been identified, nor have any new mitigation measures or alternatives which are considerably different from those analyzed in the FPEIR, SEIR, and Addenda been identified.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
September 2, 2025
Subject: File Nos. C25-011 & ER25-021
PUBLIC HEARING NOTIFICATION
Sta
ff followed Council Policy 6-30: Public Outreach Policy. A notice of the public hearing was distributed to the owners and tenants of all properties located within 500 feet of the project site and posted on the City website. The staff report is also posted on the City’s website. Staff has been available to respond to questions from the public. /s/
CHRIS BURTON, Director
Planning, Building and Code
Enforcement Department
For ques
tions, please contact John Tu, Division Manager, Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department at (408) 535-7900.
At
tachments:
Exhibit A: Aerial Map
Exhibit B: General Plan Land Use/Transportation Map
Exhibit C: Proposed Zoning Map
Exhibit D: Legal Description
Exhibit F: Plat Map
Exhibit A: Aerial Map
Exhibit B: General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram
Exhibit C: Proposed Zoning Map
EXHIBIT “A”
LEGAL DESCRIPTION OF THE LANDS OF JORGE B. BARRIGA
ALL THAT REAL PROPERTY SITUATED IN THE CITY OF SAN JOSE, COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, STATE OF CALIFORNIA, AS DESCRIBED IN THE CERTAIN GRANT DEED #25330176 FILED FOR RECORD ON 7/01/2022, SANTA CLARA COUNTY RECORDS, LOCATED AT 655 S.
ALMADEN AVENUE, SAN JOSE, CA 95110, ASSESSOR'S PARCEL NUMBER 264-34-072, MORE PARTICULARLY DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:
BEGINNING AT A POINT OF COMMENCMENT (POC) BEING A CITY MONUMENT IN THE
INSECTION OF VINE STREET AND GRANT STREET AS SHOWN ON THAT CERTAIN PARCEL MAP RECORED IN MAP BOOK 607, PAGE 24, SANTA CLARA COUNTY RECORDS, THENCE NORTH 59º21'00' EAST AND PARALLEL TO THE CENTERLINE OF SAID GRANT STREET A DISTANCE OF 320.00 FEET;
THENCE LEAVING LAST SAID LINE AT A RIGHT ANGLE SOUTH 30º39'00' EAST A DISTANCE OF 35.04 FEET TO THE INTERSECTION OF THE NORTHEAST LINE OF SAID GRANT STREET AND THE SOUTHWEST LINE OF S. ALMADEN AVENUE AND THE TRUE POINT OF BEGINNING (POB) OF THIS DESCRIPTION;
THENCE ALONG SAID SOUTHWEST LINE OF S. ALMADEN AVENUE SOUTH 30º39'00' EAST A DISTANCE OF 150.00 FEET;
THENCE LEAVING LAST SAID LINE AT A RIGHT ANGLES THE FOLLOWING FOUR COURSES:
SOUTH 59º21'00' WEST 147.50 FEET,
NORTH 30º39'00' WEST 50.00 FEET,
SOUTH 59º21'00' WEST 50.00 FEET,
NORTH 30º39'00' WEST 100.00 FEET TO SAID NORTHEAST LINE OF GRANT STREET; THENCE ALONG SAID NORTHEAST LINE OF GRANT STREET NORTH 59º21'00' EAST A DISTANCE OF 197.50 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNING;
CONTAINING 27,125 SQUARE FEET (0.623 ACS.) MORE OR LESS; A PLAT OF THE ABOVE DESCRIBED PARCEL OF LAND IS ATTACHED HERETO AS EXHIBIT “B” AND BY REFERENCE MADE A PART HEREOF.
PREPARED BY, OR UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF:
END OF THIS DESCRIPTION
PAGE 1 OF 2
_______________________________ _________________
TIMOTHY HOLDENER LS #7636 DATE
7/29/25
EXHIBIT "B"
PLAT TO ACCOMPANY
LEGAL DESCRIPTION
655 S. ALMADEN AVENUE, SAN JOSE
SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
SCALE : 1"=20 Feet APN: 264-34-072 JULY 29, 2025