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Rich Crowley
District 10 Homeowner since 1970
cell/text
4/22/26, 3:40 PM Mail - City Clerk - Outlook
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The councilmembers have put together an extremely thoughtful proposal to help streamline projects and reduce city resources that would have been expended processing AB130 eligible projects.
This will be an amazing resource saving measure for the City, and reduce staff burden in processing these projects (staff in the planning department have huge workloads as it is, and this will help reduce stress and open up staff time to handle more complicated projects).
Our one comment for discussion is that if approved by Council this Fall in September assuming this moves forward at Rules Committee - would be great if it could be retroactive to Jan 1, 2026 so that the handful of projects in process using AB130 in 2026 could be further expedited in Q4 2026 (i.e. they would get pulled from the longer process and put into the administerial bucket to finish out the approval).
Thank you for your consideration and thank you for your leadership to advance housing in San Jose! -Josh
Joshua Burroughs
PARTNER
5/12/26, 11:36 AM Mail - Rules and Open Government Committee Agendas - Outlook https://outlook.cloud.microsoft/mail/[email protected]/inbox/id/AAQkADhhYzk3NTk1LTBmZDAtNDc4Yi1hN2Q0LTZjNmZjNTk5M… 2/2
Infill Housing Development | Investment | Construction
10050 N Foothill Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014 1 AlphaX RE Capital May 13, 2026
Subject: Public Comment in Support of ROGC 26-208 - Ministerial Approval for Housing (AB 130) Dear Chair and Members of the Rules and Open Government Committee, On behalf of AlphaX RE Capital, I am writing to express our strong support for the memorandum submitted by Councilmembers, Campos, Cohen, and Kamei regarding ministerial approval for housing under AB 130.
This proposal is meaningful, logical, and essential for San Jose at this critical moment. It represents a decisive step in the right direction and aligns directly with the urgent housing needs of our city.
AlphaX RE Capital is a San Jose-based real estate investment and development firm focused on high-quality infill housing. Our core mission is to increase housing supply and create more attainable pathways for residents to have a place to call home. Today, AlphaX has over 300 units in the pipeline in San Jose. We currently have six infill communities totaling 56 units, along with another 20 non-community projects under construction, and there are more projects moving through the permitting phase. New homes under $1.3M have nearly vanished from the market—except at our East San Jose community. Properties at this price point are incredibly sensitive to timing.
From our perspective as a builder and developer working on the ground, this memorandum is a vital tool to improve San Jose's regulatory framework and make housing delivery more predictable, efficient, and feasible.
The leadership demonstrated in bringing forward this memo is exactly why AlphaX continues to invest in San Jose. We are committed to jurisdictions that show a clear and practical commitment to removing barriers to housing production. By expanding ministerial approval processes citywide for housing development projects that meet the eligibility criteria for a statutory exemption to CEQA under AB 130, the City can:
• Accelerate housing production. Ministerial approval removes unnecessary discretionary delays for projects that already meet established state environmental and eligibility standards. • Reduce development costs. A clear and predictable approval path lowers entitlement risk, financing uncertainty, and holding costs that often make smaller infill housing projects difficult to deliver. • Create consistency citywide. Expanding the process across San Jose ensures that housing opportunities are not limited to only certain areas, but are implemented more fairly and efficiently throughout the city.
San Jose residents are facing serious affordability challenges. These challenges are driven by many factors, including a lack of housing supply, rising land and construction costs, high interest rates, and lengthy entitlement timelines. Today, fewer builders are able to move forward because many projects are no longer financially feasible.
Ministerial approval for AB 130-eligible projects is an important and practical trend because these projects are already located in the appropriate zoning and have already met the applicable eligibility criteria. By shifting eligible projects from a lengthy discretionary entitlement process to a clearer and shorter ministerial review process, the City can help reduce project holding costs, improve financing feasibility, and encourage more builders to continue producing housing in San Jose.
Infill Housing Development | Investment | Construction
10050 N Foothill Blvd, Cupertino, CA 95014 2 AlphaX RE Capital We invest here because we believe in San Jose's leadership and its proactive approach to housing. We strongly encourage the Rules and Open Government Committee to approve this recommendation and move it forward to the full City Council for adoption.
Thank you for your continued leadership and commitment to addressing the housing needs of San Jose.
AlphaX sincerely appreciates San José’s leadership. When policy is clear, practical, and forward-looking, builders can act with confidence, investment can move forward, and communities can thrive.
Sincerely,
Jia Li
Chief Development Officer
AlphaX RE Capital