SAN JOSE — A proposed project for more than 100 affordable homes near downtown San Jose could be headed to a fast-track approval process, city documents show.

The Villages at Roosevelt is being planned by First Community Housing, whose primary endeavor is the development of affordable homes.

First Community Housing is seeking city administrative approval for the affordable residences as allowed by AB 2162, a 2018 state law that enables fast-track local government approvals for projects that create supportive housing for the homeless.

The project envisions the development of 125 affordable residences at 995 E. Santa Clara St. at the corner of North 21st Street, a few blocks east of downtown San Jose.

In November 2020, First Community Housing, acting through an affiliate called Stone North, bought a lot totaling 0.4 acres where the homes would be built.

First Community Housing paid $5.5 million for the parcel, according to property records. Housing Trust Silicon Valley provided the financing for the purchase.

The developer intends to demolish an existing structure on the site where South Bay Sports Training & Batting Cages has been operating.

The new residential complex would be eight stories high.

The project also envisions the development of about 1,200 square feet of commercial space on the ground floor of the development.

Under the fast-track system, the 125-unit project could be approved by city staffers and wouldn’t require a full-fledged review and vote by the Planning Commission or City Council.

Separately, First Community Housing also owns an adjacent and vacant lot at 21 N. 21st St. where the company is pushing ahead with plans for 80 affordable residences.

Both projects are located near the site of a future BART stop east of the downtown.

“This is a great area for affordable housing,” Geoffrey Morgan, president of San Jose-based First Community Housing, said in a previous interview with this news organization. “You have services and transit. It’s pedestrian-friendly.”

 

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