San Jose City Council approves office complex alongside Guadalupe River

San Jose approved an office project alongside the Guadalupe River that drew criticism from some environmentalists.
The city council voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve the Almaden Office Project, which includes two 16-story buildings at the corner of S. Almaden Boulevard and Woz Way and is part of San Jose’s plan to generate more jobs, the Mercury News reported. The buildings are expected to house 10,000 workers.

Designed by Boston Properties, the complex will total more than 2 million square feet, including 1.4 million square feet of office space and almost 38,000 square feet of retail. It will also have underground parking and 15 condominium units, plus walkways to connect S. Almaden Boulevard and the Guadalupe River Trail.

Critics said the project is too close to the river and could harm trees, soil and wildlife habitats along its banks.

“We should not knowingly sacrifice the Guadalupe River and erode environmental protections,” Dashiell Leeds, a representative of the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, told the newspaper. “We should instead protect the Guadalupe River for the living entity that it is, for the biodiversity that it sustains and for the community benefits that a healthy ecosystem provides us.”

City officials said moving the project further from the river wasn’t possible, because the site has such a narrow footprint. San Jose’s municipal code calls for a 100-foot buffer between a project and any vegetation near creeks or rivers. They can grant exceptions for certain projects.

Boston Properties, responding to local concern, modified the original design to create a bigger buffer zone from the river. It also reconfigured parking garage entrances to reduce traffic by the Guadalupe River Trail. The developers also plan 13,000 square feet of landscaping to improve the river’s water quality and reduce erosion.

“The Guadalupe River Park is designated in the General Plan as a grand park, and to achieve this vision you will need projects like this to reach it.” Jason Su, executive director of the Guadalupe River Park Conservancy, told the newspaper.

Woz Way is named for Apple founder Steve Wozniak.

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[MercuryNews] — Victoria Pruitt