After a long series of postponements, the Agrihood development will have its hearing for final approval on Tuesday, January 29th at Santa Clara City Council. As designed, it will deliver 361 new homes, with 181 of them affordable. 160 of those 181 will be set aside for low-income seniors. Additionally, the development is centered around an innovative urban farm, making the Agrihood the first of its kind in Santa Clara. The development of the Agrihood has been a long and complicated process. It was first identified for affordable housing over 15 years ago. This is a great development, and we want to make sure it doesn’t get delayed further. That’s where you come in.
The biggest threat to the project is that some groups are pushing the council to require the developer to increase the current retail space tenfold, to 20,000 square feet. That would create space and parking needs that the project as designed cannot support, and require a redesign that could push the project back 6-12 months. The addition of more retail space would also require additional funding from the City of Santa Clara – city funding that would no longer be available for affordable housing.
Retail can sometimes be a positive addition to some developments, but SV@Home strongly believes that retail should not come at the expense of affordable housing. The Agrihood is poised to deliver 160 homes for low income seniors. Given the urgency of the housing crisis, we need to make sure that council makes that their top priority.
There are two ways you can help the Agrihood move forward without delays:
ACTION #1: Join us in giving public comment in support of the Agrihood at Santa Clara City Council.
This is the most impactful step, especially if you live in Santa Clara. The meeting will take place in the City of Santa Clara Council Chambers at 1500 Warbuton Ave, Santa Clara at 7pm. The timing of the Agrihood item won’t be determined until the agenda is released on Friday. We are happy to provide talking points for those who would like them. Please email mitch@svathome.org if you are interested in speaking!
ACTION #2: Sign on to SV@Home’s petition.
Even if you aren’t able to speak, you can still show your support by adding your name! 141 people have already signed on to support the approval of the Agrihood without delay. Join them, along with Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Housing Trust Silicon Valley, Greenbelt Alliance, South Bay YIMBY, and the League of Women Voters San Jose/Santa Clara!