KT Urban envisions boutique hotel for Santana Row

A hotel with up to 180 rooms may be built in West San Jose–but don’t expect much room for their cars.

KT Urban, based in Cupertino, has filed plans to build the seven-story hotel at 425 S. Winchester Blvd., the San Jose Mercury News reported. It would require razing two commercial buildings housing an auto repair shop and a restaurant.

What’s dubbed The Olin Hotel would be built next to the One Santana West office building and across from Santana Row, an urban retail village of shops, restaurants, homes and a hotel.

Plans for the hotel call for up to 180 rooms, with six of its seven floors having up to 30 suites, according to a preliminary proposal by Eric Price of Lowney Architecture, based in Oakland.

One challenge facing the hotel is limited on-site parking.

The hotel project would include up to 15 “limited duration” parking spaces and five valet parking spots, according to planning documents.

“The remainder of project parking would be accommodated via off-site valet parking,” early plans say. “It is anticipated that an off-site parking agreement could be achieved at the adjacent property, 449 S. Winchester Blvd.”

An affiliate of KT Urban bought the site in December 2020 for $7.6 million, while obtaining a $5 million loan from First Republic Bank.

The Everest Momo, a Nepalese restaurant, and Quality Tune-Up Car Care Center, now operate businesses in two buildings on the property.

In December, a joint venture that included KT Urban sold The Oaks Shopping Center in Cupertino slated to be redeveloped into a mixed-use complex of nearly 300 townhomes and senior apartments for $80.5 million.

It also partnered with another developer to build 48 affordable apartments for low-income seniors in the same master-planned community it envisioned in Cupertino.

In July 2021, KT Urban received the go-ahead to build Woz Way Offices, a 1.8 million-square-foot, mixed-use office development at 280 Woz Way in San Jose. Its two 20-story office towers will include 10,000 square feet of shops and restaurants.

— Dana Bartholomew

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