Related Articles San Jose: Residential and commercial buildings could rise from Caltrain parking lot About 400 rental units will be built near the Tamien light rail station in Willow Glen next to a long-planned parking garage, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority officials have announced.

At a Nov. 14 community meeting, VTA staff said it is seeking proposals from developers to build the garage and dense housing near Highway 87.

The garage would be built on the west side of the freeway along Lelong Street and Alma Avenue, where VTA now has a parking lot with 262 parking spaces.

The rental units would be built on 6.96 acres east of Highway 87 on Lick Avenue between Alma and Willow Street, where the Caltrain parking lot is located. Approximately 20 percent of the units would be affordable, according to staff.

A park with a soccer field, a multi-purpose court, picnic facilities, stage area and parking lot for 33 cars would also be built immediately north of the residential area.

VTA has been planning to build a four- or five-level parking structure for about two years. Parking for light rail and Caltrain passengers would move to the new structure when housing is built on the Caltrain parking lot site, which currently provides 275 spaces.

When finished, the garage would offer 700 to 900 parking spots. Lighting would be added for security throughout the parking structure and elsewhere onsite, and fixtures would be included to reduce the light shining into adjoining areas such as the Guadalupe River.

Infrastructure and utilities such as storm drains, landscape irrigation, electricity and bioswales to collect stormwater runoff would also be built to support the new structure. The utilities would connect to facilities already on or next to the project site. Native or drought-tolerant landscaping would also be planted.

The current bus transit loop would be relocated south of the garage and two entry/exit points would be provided off Lelong. One point would be exclusively for cars entering or leaving the garage, and the other would be shared by cars using the garage and buses on the transit loop. Three bus bays would be added to the loop and a passenger drop-off/pick-up spot would be added either in the transit loop area or at a turnout on Lelong.

However, there are no plans in the project for improvements to the pedestrian tunnel under Highway 87 connecting the VTA parking lot to the Caltrain lot.

Development would take place in phases because the parking garage must be built before any housing units. Some reconfiguration of the current bus loop would also be involved.

Construction on the parking garage would start in 2019 and take about a year. Housing would be built between 2019 and 2020 and take between one to two years to complete.