A three-building development planned for W. San Carlos and Sunol streets is closer to breaking ground, five years after the project was halted.

The Ohlone development went through a number of changes before the developer, Green Republic, a joint venture of Barry Swenson Builder and Republic Urban Properties, and the city of San Jose could see eye to eye. The city had originally wanted three towers on the 8.25-acre parcel with a height of about 150 feet.

Now, lower heights have been approved as long as the density stays at approximately 800 units. However, a difference in ideas about the height of the structures wasn’t the only thing that held up the project, said Michael Van Every of Green Republic.

“There were varying degrees of setbacks,” he said. “The fundamental issue in 2010 was we were in a great recession.”

The project will be built in phases and is slated to include about 20,000 square feet of retail, which the developers and city hope will help make midtown San Jose a bridge between downtown and other retail-heavy areas such as Santana Row and Valley Fair.

Ideas for tenants in the retail areas range from banks to quick-serve retail, Van Every said.

District 6 Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio said the market-rate project will bring in substantial revenue for the city once it is completed and will help add acreage to the nearby Del Monte park. The park expansion–a boost of up to 8 more acres–has been a key issue all along.

The revitalized project is scheduled to go before city council in March.