Getting Inclusionary Housing Right

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Cities across Santa Clara County are considering this powerful tool to build more new affordable homes without subsidy.

But done wrong it can fall short, or even stop the development of new homes in its tracks. Learn how it works, and how to get it right!

Many of our local cities are joining forces right now in a shared nexus study, the wonky and in-depth analysis that assesses the feasibility of local residential development and the potential for developers of market-rate housing to add a share of affordable homes to their buildings.

If cities require too few affordable homes or affordability that’s too shallow, they leave public benefits on the table. Too much, and developers can’t build any housing at all.

Come hear about local cities that are getting it right: successfully using inclusionary housing policies to achieve mixed-income communities, generate funding to subsidize deeper levels of affordability, and gain valuable land for affordable homes!

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Diridon Station Area Plan

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San Jose is embarking on an ambitious plan to transform the Diridon Station Area into a vibrant destination with new housing, shops, and jobs, parks, trails and public spaces, and pedestrian and bike connectivity, all adjacent to a major transit center.

Check out SV@Home’s Housing Vision for the Station Area, which we believe should include at least 10,000 new homes, of which 25% should be affordable. See the link for our additional recommendations for creating a successful, housing-rich Diridon Station.

Plan Timeline:

Additional Background:

Diridon Station is expected to be home to multiple modes of transportation, including BART, High Speed Rail, Bus Rapid Transit, and an electrified CalTrain, along with existing transit that includes the Capitol Corridor, ACE, AmTrak, and VTA Light Rail.  This provides a unique opportunity to build a mixed-use development with significant new housing options for the new workers.

The City originally adopted the Diridon Station Area Plan and the associated Environmental Impact Report in 2014, back when there was discussion of development of a new major league ballpark in the Area, plans that have since been shelved.

In 2017, Google approached the City with a vision of building an estimated 6 to 8 million square feet of office space in the Diridon Station Plan Area, which could house approximately 20-30,000 jobs. In December 2018, the City Council voted to sell City-owned property in the Station Area to Google. Google has also purchased many surrounding properties within the Area.

On October 10, 2019, Google submitted its official application to the City of San Jose. More details are available here. SV@Home is excited that the application includes the potential for up to 5,900 new homes!

In addition to the Google development, many other projects are being pursued in the Station Plan Area and in surrounding Downtown neighborhoods. This includes TMG Partners’ and Valley Oak Partners’ million square foot office building that could house approximately 5,000 workers in the Station Area Plan and and an 850K square foot office that could house 4,000 workers at Museum Place, just outside the Station Area. Adobe is also planning a new 18-story tower that could house 3,000 new employees in the Downtown. The bottom line is that there are lots of new jobs being added in and around the Diridon station—and all of these jobs need homes.

Look for opportunities to engage in the Diridon decision making on SV@Home’s advocacy page.