“SAN JOSE —” Preliminary efforts to assess the site’s suitability for such a development have revealed a desirable location close to San Jose’s vibrant Japantown neighborhood, where high-density housing could soon spring up.
According to municipal records, five landowners are currently surveying San Jose planners to determine their thoughts on the feasibility of a home construction on the plot of land located at the intersection of North First Street and East Taylor Street.
City authorities have been informed that a limited liability partnership has held five adjacent properties on the corner of North First Street and East Taylor Street in San Jose since 1979, as stated in the preliminary plans provided. “The properties will be sold by the five partners working together.”
As shown in the San Jose planning papers, the properties in question are situated at 6,78, 684, 692, and 698 North First Street, as well as 20 East Taylor Street.
The properties belong to Uchiban Properties. At 692 North First Street, you’ll find both Uchiban Properties and Ron Uchishiba’s CPA and management consulting practice. It took some time to get in touch with Uchishiba for a comment.
“Considering the proximity of the five parcels, merging them could open up possibilities for denser residential development or more impactful projects at a vital ‘gateway’ in the middle of a transit urban village,” the documents stating the plans said.
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The five-person Uchiban Properties organization is currently assessing the combined site’s (just over half an acre) potential for development. One alternative would be to find out if each of the five plots could be developed separately.
Since 1979, the five sites have been owned by the group of people presently known as Uchiban Properties. Three of the five buildings house different businesses: a chiropractor, an accounting firm, and a hair salon. There is a home among the structures. Since a fire broke out at an undisclosed date, the fifth building, located at 20 East Taylor, has remained vacant.
According to the planning documents, there is a potential obstacle to development on the site: the buildings at 692 and 698 North First Street are listed as a “historic resource” in the city’s database. But they’re not landmarks in the historic district.
When compared to historic landmarks, which cannot normally be destroyed or have their outside significantly altered, historic resources are considered less of a hindrance.
In 2022, the city of San Jose made a statement regarding the plans for the area, stating that they aimed to create a “well-connected, mixed-use, economically diverse, vibrant, affordable, and sustainable destination” through the North 1st Street Local Transit Village Plan.
The northern boundary of this transit village is Interstate 880, while the southern boundary is Hensley Street, which is reached by traveling south on North First Street and North Second Street.
“These parcels are located in an important urban location and represent an opportunity for new development that would help the city achieve many of the pedestrian-oriented goals for the North 1st Street Transit Village,” declare the proposal documents.
A January 2022 CEQA report on the property stated that city officials perceive this corridor as having numerous prospects for home development and job creation.
“The village’s assigned amount of future growth” may mean “2,520 new jobs and up to 1,678 units of new residential would occur within the Village’s boundaries,” according to the city’s report from January 2022.
Other plans for massive housing developments have recently focused on the North First Street corridor, which stretches from downtown San Jose to the Alviso neighborhood miles north, in part because of the collapse of the Bay Area’s office and hotel industries.
In light of the region’s flagging hotel and office industries, developers are eyeing the housing market as a potential replacement.
The land is close to the Guadalupe River waterway, parks, the city’s airport, and downtown San Jose, thus the owners think it might be used for a number of things.
The crossroads of North First and East Taylor is also conveniently located within five minutes of walking distance to two light rail stations.
“By being aware of potential options ahead of time, we can promote the property in a manner that aligns with the city’s overarching goal of high-intensity development,” the planning documents indicate.
