Update: San José’s City Council officially approved the Cambrian Village project, bringing over 400 new homes to the Bay Area!
After careful review, Greenbelt Alliance was pleased to endorse Kimco Realty’s Cambrian Village project, in San José. The development site is currently occupied by a 70+-year-old sprawling strip mall surrounded by large parking lots. This project will transform this underdeveloped and outdated site into a unique and innovative village with 428 homes, community gathering spaces, and a commercial center for Cambrian residents and neighbors to enjoy. Moreover, the $9,000,000 in in-lieu fees will go a long way to funding badly needed affordable housing projects in other neighborhoods.
For over five years, the developers worked closely with the community and the City of San José to re-envision the site to meet modern community needs. This is truly a monumental project for the City as it is the largest and one of few multifamily projects in the pipeline for District 9. Seeing as the Cambrian neighborhood is a prime example of low-density, single-family housing, this project would help the City make large strides toward meeting its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goals.
The project prioritizes sustainability and climate resiliency through multiple facets. Cambrian Village will not only be LEED Silver certified but will incorporate more than 4 acres of publicly accessible open space, hundreds of bike parking spaces and new raised bike lanes, and community-serving retail space for small businesses. These features coupled with housing mean Cambrian Village has the potential to become a vibrant, mixed-use town center with gathering spaces that will benefit the entire community. Equally important, Cambrian Village’s design will include green infrastructure such as solar panels, EV charging, and drought-tolerant landscaping.
The project will offer all parking underground in order to create a more pedestrian and bike-friendly landscape. Adding to this, Cambrian Village is a great example of a transit-oriented development being located on the local bus 61, 37, and 101 express lines and is less than two miles from a light rail station. Although the project meets the City’s Vehicle Miles Traveled targets, Cambrian Village will include a voluntary Transportation Demand Management program which will be developed at a later stage of the project.
Cambrian Village is a great example of a transit-oriented, affordable, and sustainable development that will allow San José to reach its housing goals and needs in a climate-smart way.
We are proud to support Cambrian Village and we hope its approval will inspire cities around the Bay Area to redouble their efforts to grow smartly.
Greenbelt Alliance’s Climate SMART—Sustainable, Mixed, Affordable, Resilient, Transit-Oriented— Development Endorsement Program goals call for fully protecting the Bay Area’s greenbelt, directing growth within existing communities, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and accomplishing both in a way that equitably benefits all Bay Area residents. Our Endorsement Program provides support for projects that advance the right kind of development in the right places. By promoting climate SMART development, we can create thriving, resilient neighborhoods with ready access to transit and housing choices for all of the Bay Area’s people.
Find out more about our Endorsement Program here. Feel free to contact our team for more information and support.
Photo: Morley Brothers
