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Condo Tower Set to Get Under Way in Willow Glen is Also Breaking Ground in the Trend to Denser Housing Near Transit in San Jose

Posted on: Tuesday, 9 May 2006, 09:02 CDT

By Katherine Conrad, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

May 9--Construction begins this month on San Jose's first condominium tower outside downtown, a controversial 11-story development that will overlook San Jose's leafy enclave of Willow Glen.

Tamien Place, which brought together an ambitious developer and wary neighbors, illustrates the hurdles builders and planners must clear as they pitch high-rise living in a city that likes its space.

It also represents what San Jose officials believe is the future: lots of housing on a relatively small piece of land near mass transit. In this case, trains and buses are within walking distance.

The concept is called infill, and it's the philosophical opposite of the suburban sprawl that has spawned traffic jams and strip malls. City officials hope infill development will inspire waves of new middle-class condo dwellers to leave their cars at home and take the train.

But first, the neighbors must be convinced. In the case of Tamien Place, the neighbors were flatly opposed to the prospect of a looming tower.

Swenson has been called a pioneer by city officials for his downtown projects, but the outspoken builder notes that being first is not easy.

"Finally. It's been five years of hard work," he said. "The only thing bad was the height. There's nothing wrong with an 11-story building, but Tamien should be 20. You can walk to the train -- it should be 30 stories. We just didn't have much support on that."

The 242-unit project that was approved by the city council in October 2003 will begin construction in two weeks. The first tower is scheduled for completion in May 2008. Located at the corner of Alma Street and Lick Avenue, the project is next to the Tamien Caltrain and VTA light-rail stations, as well as a bus route. In the era of so-called smart growth as cities aim to grow up, rather than out, proximity to mass transit is considered crucial for successful developments that seek to house a growing population and offer alternatives to congested freeways.

More to come

The transit authority hopes Tamien is the first of many such projects. The VTA owns several sites along its 20-mile transit corridor that it hopes to lease to developers on a long-term basis, which could give the cash-strapped agency both cash and riders.

"We know the population will grow and the number of jobs will continue to grow," said Jayme Kunz, communications director for the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. "Where are we going to put them? That's exactly the issue.

"If we're going to build more housing, which inevitably we are, the best urban thinking is to densify that housing along transit corridors."

That means building projects in established neighborhoods with very vocal neighbors. Tamien Place is on the edge of the highly desirable Willow Glen neighborhood, whose residents came out in droves four years ago to fight a project they believed did not fit into their single-family neighborhood. Though many cheered the razing in February of the long-abandoned and crime-ridden Alma Bowl, the twin towers were another story.

"Our objection to Tamien is that while we believe building high-rise at light rail is appropriate, put it in the downtown rather than a residential neighborhood of one- and two-story homes," said Ed Rast, a board member of United Neighborhoods of Santa Clara County and president of the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association.

Rast said none of the neighbors could understand the push to build near Willow Glen when there are undeveloped sites downtown. They also were disappointed that the plans did not include new places to shop. Swenson did not add shops, but neighbors did persuade him to build a two-acre park, although it will not be built until the second tower goes up in the next few years.

"It was a difficult but necessary learning experience for everyone involved," Rast said. "That doesn't mean everybody is happy with the result. But it does move us down the road to better development that meets the needs of neighborhoods and developers."

The city also learned a valuable lesson in community relations, said Laurel Prevetti, San Jose's assistant planning director.

"Tamien created a firestorm of neighborhood outrage," she said. "It was a poster child of why communities need to be involved early in the planning process."

In other words, the era is past when developers could hold just one neighborhood meeting per project. Jessie Thielen, Tamien's project manager for Swenson, said the developer held 18 sessions with neighbors, after which the design took on more of a Mission style, and the 12 townhomes became more accessible from the street.

Swenson believes people will be pleased when they see the project, and the next projects won't be as difficult, nor take as long.

"We will most definitely continue to have a presence throughout the city of San Jose, both downtown and elsewhere," Thielen said. "We believe in high density along the whole transit system. You will continue to see us no matter how hard it is."

An ice breaker

Barry Swenson Builders is looking at 10 to 15 other sites near San Jose mass transit. Thielen said that because the company is still in negotiations to buy the land, she would not disclose locations.

As far as Swenson is concerned, high density is the future -- the higher, the better.

"You can't use a train unless you have people living next to it," he said. "The city right now is still looking at putting two- and three-story developments next to the train. Even 10 years from now, they won't have enough riders. How could we have so little vision?"

Swenson calls such low- and medium-density projects "a joke," but said he believes he made progress with the city and the neighbors on Tamien Place. "We broke some ice."

Contact Katherine Conrad at kconrad@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5073.

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Copyright (c) 2006, San Jose Mercury News, Calif.

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Source: San Jose Mercury News

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