With the San Jose Planning Commission poised to consider approving or denying a Midtown land use change that would clear the path for an urban village proposal at the corner of Stockton Avenue and West Julian Street in Midtown, residents are chiming in.

And many who attended a community meeting in the Rose Garden neighborhood last week supported the concept of an urban village on a 1.22-acre site at 715 W. Julian St.

But some said they’d like to see city planners and developer Anderson Architects incorporate a few suggestions, such as requiring fewer parking spaces than planned since the site is close to San Jose Diridon Station and other transit options. Others called for a comprehensive noise ordinance to address the impact of increased population density.

Two single-family homes and three commercial buildings–two of them vacant–currently sit on the property, but planning staff said the density would increase significantly if the land use is changed. The site now can support 50 to 60 housing units, but the number could swell to approximately 300 housing units, or five times as many people. Things could get even more crowded since another developer recently announced plans to build a hotel on the southeast corner of Stockton and Julian.

Kurt Anderson of Anderson Architects could not be reached for comment but said in a previous interview that he envisions a pedestrian- and transit-focused community with “architecturally significant” buildings. District 6 Councilwoman Dev Davis told the Resident she thinks the plan is “appropriate for that area.”

“It’s part of the Diridon Station Area Plan, which is technically not an urban village but basically an urban village,” Davis said. “It has all the factors of an urban village without being one.”

David Smathers said although he no longer lives near the site, he attended the meeting anyway out of “concern about San Jose, concern about Google.” Smathers said he wants to make sure traffic congestion isn’t exacerbated by Google’s planned expansion into the area or by growth in general throughout the city.

People “need to get beyond driving,” Smathers told planners and developers, adding he was pleased to see others who are “supportive of the change.”

“It seemed broadly there was a lot of support moving in this direction,” Smathers said in an interview after the meeting.

The San Jose Planning Commission is scheduled to vote on the land use change on Nov. 8, then forward its recommendation to the city council for a final decision in early December.