After offering a conceptual endorsement to the project in Fall 2009, Greenbelt Alliance’s Compact Development Team (CDT) voted to give The Ohlone of San Jose, mixed-use, transit-oriented 650-unit development, a full endorsement this July.
Situated on vacant land, The Ohlone project would be located along West San Carlos and Sunol Streets in San Jose. The city is still reviewing the plans, but if approved, the project will provide new housing, retail and commercial space, access to buses and light-rail, and walkable streets and plazas to a transitioning area of San Jose.
The Ohlone will be constructed directly adjacent to a future light-rail station on the Vasona line in midtown San Jose and is within a short walk to many other transit options including VTA Bus and proposed Bus Rapid-Transit service. The project is also located within a mile of San Jose’s Diridon transit station, which services both Caltrain and Amtrak and is a future stop on the proposed California high-speed rail. With this level of service, The Ohlone is set to be the premier housing option near what will become one of the most important transit interchanges in the Bay Area.
Along with building a dense mixed-use development, the developers will dedicate a 4-acre parcel to open space, creating a park that will directly link the project to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. This transformation will provide the community with the green space that it sorely lacks, creating even more amenities in the public realm.
Concerns about the design previously brought up by the first CDT review were quelled by alterations made in the plan by Steinberg Architects, who offered a more appealing, versatile and open environment that interacts with the surrounding community.
Before the developers can begin construction, the City Planning Commission and City Council will review plans for The Ohlone this fall. Greenbelt Alliance hopes the review process will be expedited with the help of the CDT endorsement.
~John Fisher, sustainable development intern
Greenbelt Alliance
