A proposed six-story hotel in West San Jose that drew complaints about potential traffic, pollution and shadows – not to mention being out of character with the neighborhood – was approved by the city’s planning department.
Deputy Planning Director Robert Manford approved the hotel at 1212 S. Winchester Boulevard, the Silicon Valley Business Journal reported. The project from local dentist Dr. Adam Askari would have 119 rooms on the 0.7-acre site.
While it would be in a mostly residential area, the City Council designated a portion of the area as an urban village, allowing for denser development.
“By city staff approving this project, you will be sending a clear message to developers and industries that the city of San Jose stands behind its urban village vision,” Askari had said at a hearing.
Askari withdrew the proposal earlier this year amid objections from Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and neighbors because the land hadn’t yet been rezoned, even though it carried the urban village designations. The council has since voted to approve that change.
The decision can still be appealed, although the Hamann Park Neighborhood Association hasn’t decided whether to do so. Members of the association were the ones who lodged complaints about the potential to hurt the area.
“It just doesn’t fit in with the fabric of our neighborhood,” Vince Navarra, president of the association, said at a hearing.
The city of San Jose has approved about a dozen urban village plans, which are meant to be “walkable, bicycle-friendly, transit-oriented, mixed-use settings that provide both jobs and housing,” the website reads. The strategy consists of as many as 60 spread across the 180-square mile city.
[Silicon Valley Business Journal] — Gabriel Poblete
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