San Jose senior housing faces backlash from neighbors

Worried about more crime and traffic, south San Jose residents are pushing back against a proposal to build an apartment complex for low-income seniors that housing advocates say would fill a growing need.

Charities Housing, a company that builds and manages affordable housing projects in Santa Clara County, wants to construct a 147-unit apartment building for seniors at 397 Blossom Hill Road, where the former Aloha Roller Rink once stood.

Advocates, including groups such as Destination: Home and SV@Home, say the proposal will create badly needed homes where people 62 and older can age in place without having to move when they need more care, a population that is particularly vulnerable to being displaced in the Bay Area’s expensive housing market. But critics, including the group San Jose Action, worry the complex will result in higher crime and more homelessness in the area if residents of the complex are evicted.

The debate highlights the growing tension throughout the Bay Area as the region simultaneously struggles with a housing crisis and a resistance from some to new projects that might increase density or house the homeless.

At a packed community meeting at Hayes Mansion on Monday evening, advocates held “I love senior housing” signs, while opponents, many of whom feel nonprofits from outside the Blossom Hill area are trying to wield undue influence over a local issue, carried “District 2 resident” signs.

“This is really what democracy looks like,” said Councilman Sergio Jimenez, who represents the area.

After the meeting, Jimenez said he would “weigh all comments and concerns” and “strive to make certain” any final project “is what folks desire.”

The project still needs to work its way through San Jose’s planning commission and the City Council for approval, and, even if it gets a green light, it will be several years before residents are able to move in.

Kathy Robinson, director of housing development for Charities Housing, said the company planned to build no more than a 4-story building, in part because of feedback from neighbors. While the site sits near the busy intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Snell Avenue, near shops and medical buildings, it is directly across from a residential neighborhood with single-family homes.

“We’re growing older faster than we’re building senior housing,” Robinson said.

To get Measure A bond funding from the county, which provides backing for affordable housing projects, Charities plans to set aside nearly 50 units for formerly homeless seniors. The rest of the units, including a few with multiple bedrooms to allow space for live-in caregivers, would be reserved for low-income residents. There would be a courtyard in the front and 96 parking spots. The company also plans to create space on the ground floor for Catholic Charities and other groups to offer services, including an adult day care center and a behavior health program, “for the greater community,” Robinson said.

While the development would be staffed around the clock, Robinson said Charities Housing does not plan to provide paid security, an acknowledgement that drew loud booing from the crowd.

Robinson said Charities Housing typically gets about 10 applications per unit, and evaluates residents based on credit and criminal history, among other factors. If residents break rules, they face eviction. That worries some neighbors, who fear evicted tenants would wind up on nearby streets.

But Robinson said, “We are very familiar with managing a mixed building like this,” adding that the company opened the similar San Antonio Place in Mountain View more than a decade ago and also runs Parkside Studios in Sunnyvale, as well as other developments.

Michael Wallace, who lives a few miles away and is a member of the Southridge Church, which Charities Housing allowed to worship on the site to keep it occupied, is not convinced.

“They’re not thinking this through,” Wallace said. “They’re shoehorning this into that little space.”

And, Wallace said, Charities Housing gave the church little notice that it would need to vacate the space and allowed other tenants to behave poorly.

“It really makes me worry about this project,” Wallace said.

Robinson disputed those claims, saying the church was given 30 days to leave, with the option to pursue an extension, and had been given access to the space at almost no cost.

But for Karen Lattin, a leader of the group San Jose Residents for Housing Solutions and a resident of District 2, the development makes sense.

“I’m 100 percent supportive,” Lattin said. “We need this kind of housing.”

Related Articles Bay Area renters could see relief from sky-high prices

California land values skyrocketing, but pace slower than Nevada and Colorado

Housing battle: Cupertino fires back after state’s threat Lattin thinks there’s a lot of misunderstanding surrounding the project and misplaced fear.

“Affordable housing has changed a lot in the last 20 years,” she said, and now includes more supportive services for residents.

“Senior housing is a huge need. Homeless housing is a huge need,” Robinson said. “We’re filling a great community need.”

Share this: Print

View more on The Mercury News