Urban Villas switches from condos to apartments in San Jose

An initial plan to build 173 condominiums in West San Jose drew fire from neighbors. Now the developer aims to build 237 apartments instead.

Urban Villas, based in Cupertino, has updated plans for an eight-story apartment complex at 1530-544 West San Carlos Street, the San Jose Mercury News reported.

A mixed-use apartment building would replace a former auto dealership, car rental company, martial arts studio, restaurant and eight homes once occupied by Section 8 tenants.

The 1.3-acre project on West San Carlos Street near Buena Vista Avenue would help link Downtown San Jose with its expanding retail centers at West Valley Fair and Santana Row.

Its initial aim was to help transform the neighborhood into a bustling, urban corridor.

In 2019, Urban Villas proposed building two seven-story buildings with 173 condominiums and 189 parking spaces. But neighbors, frustrated by the impact of a building boom in their area, pushed back, according to the Mercury News.

They said the condos offered no affordable housing and only limited parking, exacerbating a serious parking shortage, with rooftop gardens violating the privacy of neighbors below.

The new proposal calls for an eight-story building with 237 apartments in an array of categories, as well as 198 parking spaces. The rental units would include 69 studios, 83 one-bedroom and 34 two-bedroom apartments, between 450 and 980 square feet.

The project, designed by Studio Current of San Jose, would include 17,000 square feet of ground-floor shops and restaurants. A rendering shows a gray and white building with inset and exterior balconies and two floors of glass-fronted retail.

Urban Villas is a limited liability corporation affiliated with Century 21 Real Estate Alliance agent Viji Mani, according to SFYimby.

— Dana Bartholomew

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