Area Overview

The Central and North San Jose Consolidated Priority Development Area (PDA) consists of approximately 11,510 acres made up of three main subareas: the Downtown Core and Frame, the North San Jose Development Policy Area, and the light rail transit (LRT) and BART station areas.

A number of plans and programs identify the PDA for transit-oriented, vertical mixed-use development and redevelopment in proximity to and within the city’s urban center. These include: Special Strategy Areas identified in the San Jose 2020 General Plan, Specific Plan areas in downtown and north San Jose, Strong Neighborhood Initiative (SNI) Redevelopment Project Areas, and areas surrounding existing and planned passenger rail lines (2000-foot radius around Vasona Light Rail stations; 3000-foot radius around future BART stations). The PDA also includes two additional areas near transit that have been the subject of specific plans: the Tamien Station Area Specific Plan addresses the Tamien LRT/Caltrain Station and the Communications Hill Specific Plan addresses land near the Curtner LRT Station. In addition, the majority of the PDA is designated by the General Plan as a Pedestrian Priority Area.

All told, the consolidated PDA is expected to accommodate much of the city’s growth between now and 2035, adding an estimated 60,000 housing units and 130,000 jobs. Transit service in the PDA includes Amtrak, Caltrain, and ACE regional rail lines as well as Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority (VTA) light rail and bus service. The planned BART extension to Silicon Valley also includes four stations in San Jose which are included in the PDA.

Area Vision

The Downtown Strategy Plan 2000 was adopted in 2005 after extensive public outreach to neighborhoods, business interests, and other key stakeholders. It provides a long-range conceptual program for revitalizing the Downtown by allowing high-density infill development and redevelopment, and by expanding the Downtown Core Area and land use intensities westward and northward into areas that are presently undeveloped and underutilized. The amount of development anticipated to occur in the expanded Downtown Core Area through implementation of the plan includes 8 to 10 million square feet of office space; 8,000 to 10,000 dwelling units; 900,000 to 1.2 million square feet of retail space; and 2,000 to 2,500 guest rooms, in four to five hotels.

The Downtown Strategy Plan 2000 also expanded the downtown traffic level of service (LOS) exemption area to allow intersections within the new Downtown Core to operate at capacity. This encourages development in the area by removing concerns about traffic impacts as a barrier to implementation. The exemption also ensures that future development does not reduce the quality of the pedestrian experience downtown. The plan also revised the maximum building heights in the Downtown Core so that they are defined by airspace requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration instead of specific heights and FARs, thereby potentially increasing allowable building heights.

The Vision North San José Development Policy was adopted in 2005 as well, with broad support from diverse community, business, and environmental organizations. This plan established a framework that provides significant new growth capacity for 32,000 residential units, 26.7 million square feet of industrial development, and 1.7 million square feet of retail development; supports the creation of up to 80,000 new jobs with a focus on leading technology industries; and creates an equitable funding mechanism for $570 million in regional and local transportation projects. Key components include establishing an Industrial Core Area along the Guadalupe light rail corridor by reserving 16 million square feet of development capacity, resulting in an average floor area ratio (FAR) of 1.2; enabling transit-oriented development along an existing light rail corridor by increasing maximum building heights to allow 12-story buildings with structured parking for projects providing enhanced transit and pedestrian facilities; and using a General Plan overlay district to direct industrial-to-residential conversions to appropriate sites and facilitate master planning of new neighborhoods that incorporate residential amenities, including at least 35 acres of new neighborhood-serving parks.

The Communications Hill Specific Plan calls for up to 4,000 housing units in a very urban form, on a hilltop site near the Curtner Light Rail Station. The Tamien Station Area Specific Plan envisions approximately 1,200 housing units oriented to a multi-modal transit station and adjacent neighborhoods. Additional specific plans address transit-oriented infill opportunities in the neighborhoods surrounding the downtown core.

Infrastructure needs in the PDA include transit and transportation improvements, streetscape improvements, recycled water and sewer system upgrades, parks, community centers, libraries, life-safety facilities, and other public facilities. Many of these improvements have been planned, and some funding has been identified. However, additional funding is necessary to provide adequate infrastructure for future development in the PDA.

San Jose’s efforts to direct new growth into the downtown, north San Jose, and transit stations will continue to increase the share of households with access to transit. These plans also reduce the necessary commute distance for many residents by placing new housing in close proximity to job centers in downtown and north San Jose. While reducing the region’s overall vehicle miles traveled and carbon emissions, focusing new development in these core areas of San Jose will also support ridership in new and existing regional transit lines such as ACE, Caltrain, VTA light rail, and BART.

Community Involvement

Each of the specific plans within the PDA has been developed with community outreach and participation. Both the Downtown Strategy Plan 2000 and the Vision North San Jose Development Policy involved extensive community outreach as discussed above. Neighborhood involvement in redevelopment areas is conducted through the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative. Each of these neighborhoods has a Neighborhood Advisory Committee, and neighborhood representatives also staff a citywide Policy Advisory Committee.

San Jose is also engaging the community with discussions about future development in the city through the current update to the General Plan, including workshops to develop the guiding vision and principles for the plan and how and where to accommodate new growth. A Great Cities Speaker Series is also being hosted in San Jose to inspire and inform the General Plan Update process.