Street-level view of 520 West Alma Avenue in San Jose's Willow Glen District. (Google Maps)
SAN JOSE — Apartments could sprout on a vacant lot next to a river in San Jose’s bustling Willow Glen district, a proposal that’s being floated by a Berkeley-based developer of affordable housing.
The housing development is being eyed for an empty parcel at 520 West Alma Avenue in San Jose, documents on file with city planners show.
The apartment building would consist of 91 units, according to the proposal.
Berkeley-based Resources for Community Development, a real estate firm that specializes in the development of affordable housing, has proposed the project.
The project site totals 0.6 acres and is next to the Guadalupe River, according to the proposal.
Lisa Blickenstaff, who is based in Irvine, owns the property, documents on file with the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office show.
The parcel’s value is $132,700, according to the county real estate records.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Resources for Community Development intends to purchase the property at some point.
In multiple instances, however, the real estate firm has purchased potential development sites.
In 2021, an affiliate controlled by Resouces for Community Development bought a property at 797 South Almaden Avenue next to West Virginia Street in San Jose.
The real estate firm has proposed the development of 99 affordable apartments on the 797 South Almaden site.
At 520 West Alma, Resources for Community Development is using provisions of SB 330 to pursue what could be a streamlined city approval process.
Resources for Community Development was founded 40 years ago in 1984, according to the organization’s website
“We provide safe, quality homes that are affordable to low-income individuals and families so they can continue to live, work and play here in the Bay Area,” Resources for Community Development states on its website.
Originally published at George Avalos