Have you noticed new construction on the West San Carlos and Bascom Avenue corridors?
You might have noticed some common elements with this new construction:
- Height compared to surrounding buildings
- Multi-use buildings with businesses at ground level and residences on upper floors
What’s driving this design shift?
There are several reasons the City is approving commercial and residential occupancy in the same building:
- Taller buildings with mixed use occupancy allows more complete use of space and minimizes sprawl.
- New construction in this inner city area will transform older/neglected neighborhoods into an updated cleaner living space.
- Updated and clean buildings attract new and franchised businesses to invest and develop their business within the community.
- New businesses provides employment opportunities for the local residents.
- Bringing residents closer to public transportation helps increase utilization for daily commutes and reduces the impact of pollutants caused by automobiles.
Where can I get more details on this?
All of these new city growth concepts are part of the City of San Jose’s General Plan: Envision San Jose 2040, and this concept is called an “Urban Village”.You can find more information on the proposed “Urban Village” within the Burbank District in this PDF published by the City of San Jose.
City of San Jose – West San Carlos – Urban Village Plan – Draft 2014