San Jose Cuts Housing Development Time in Half

<p>The City of San José has approved the first project under its new <a title&equals;"City Streamlined Ministerial Ordinance" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;sanjoseca&period;gov&sol;your-government&sol;departments-offices&sol;planning-building-code-enforcement&sol;planning-division&sol;citywide-planning&sol;housing-catalyst&sol;city-streamlined-ministerial-ordinance" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank" rel&equals;"noopener">City Streamlined Ministerial Ordinance<&sol;a>&comma; bringing hundreds of new housing units and more retail space to the capitol of Silicon Valley&period; The 917&comma;000 square-foot project at the corner of Saratoga Avenue and Stevens Creek Boulevard was entitled in just eight months&comma; a process that can typically take up to two years&period; The new pathway for faster permitting is one of many ways the City is streamlining the building process and attracting new development&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The City’s Planning&comma; Building and Code Enforcement Department continues to implement policies and process improvements for development services&comma; creating a responsive and more efficient experience for applicants&comma;” said City Manager Jennifer Maguire&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;This effort contributes directly to the City Council Focus Area of Building More Housing and supports the City’s commitment to sustainable growth and development&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;It takes longer to get a permit to build housing in California than it does for a couple to bring new life into the world&comma;” said Mayor Matt Mahan&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;That’s absurd — and it’s why we’re moving faster&period; If we don’t fix this now&comma; our kids will grow up with the exact same housing crisis we’re struggling with today&period; In San José&comma; we’re removing barriers&comma; streamlining approvals&comma; and showing the rest of the state the path forward — because delaying change means denying the next generation a chance at homeownership&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Once constructed&comma; the property at 3896 Stevens Creek Boulevard is expected to consist of two eight-story buildings&comma; providing 540 units of housing including 27 affordable units and approximately 800 parking spaces&period; Roughly 14&comma;000 square-feet is dedicated to retail space&comma; and the initial concept includes a paseo open to the public&period; Located in the Stevens Creek Boulevard Urban Village Plan area&comma; the project will now enter the funding and construction permitting phase&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We are excited to bring more vibrancy to the Stevens Creek corridor&period; The City’s streamlined approval process gave us the confidence to invest at a higher density and deliver a project that meets the needs of the growing city&period; This partnership shows what can happen when the public and private sectors work together toward a shared vision&comma;” said Alden Smith&comma; Development Project Manager&comma; Holland Development&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>City Council approved the ministerial process last year&comma; and the Planning&comma; Building and Code Enforcement Department launched the service in February for qualifying housing development projects that meet specific criteria including location in a designated growth zone&period; The permitting process streamlines environmental review and creates opportunity to build more higher density&comma; mixed-use projects&period; Applications still go through a rigorous review process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;San José continues to be a great place to live&comma; work&comma; and play&comma; and our team is committed to keeping it that way&period; We’re strengthening trust with the building community by delivering high-quality&comma; efficient service and embracing innovative solutions&period; If you haven’t worked with us in a while&comma; now is an excellent time to build here&comma;” said Chris Burton&comma; Director of Planning&comma; Building and Code Enforcement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;