2940 Alum Rock Avenue
Approved
2940 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose, CA 95127
Project Overview
• Project Type: 100% Affordable
• Owner/Developer: The Pacific Companies
• Presented to our members: February 2025
Catalyze SV evaluates project sustainability, equity, and vibrancy. Learn about our project review process.
2940 Alum Rock Avenue Project Scorecard
2940 Alum Rock Avenue is a proposal by the Pacific Companies to construct a six-story, 400-unit, 100% affordable multifamily residential building on a 3.4-acre site in San Jose. Two vacant commercial buildings currently occupy the site. Proposed on-site amenities include a fitness center and a courtyard picnic area. The project will offer on-site services, such as instructor-led classes on financial literacy, home-buyer education, and GED preparation. Additional services include 1-on-1 individualized health and wellness programs. The developer proposes handling resident transportation needs by providing a car share program, 400 automobile parking stalls, and 100 long-term bicycle parking stalls.
2940 Alum Rock Avenue scored an overall 4.17 out of 5 from our Project Advocacy Committee members.
Community Score: 4/5
The Pacific Companies is an established developer with existing ties to local groups and community members in the vicinity of 2940 Alum Rock Avenue. Our members commend The Pacific Companies for continuing to build upon their relationships with the community and following up on previously collected feedback. Additionally, our members appreciate that the developer has held three community meetings, including a publicly-noticed, city meeting. Going forward, our members encourage the developer to make a conscious effort to reach out to underrepresented groups, including potential future residents, for feedback regarding the project's design and on-site amenities.
Vibrancy Score: 4/5
Our members recognize it is not always easy for 100% affordable projects to activate the ground floor environment; we believe 2940 Alum Rock has made a solid effort, given its constraints. While the project is 100% residential, the developer is pursuing a "mixed-use look" through the design of the building's facade and placement of the most active spaces along the Alum Rock Avenue frontage. We want to encourage the developer to relocate as much additional community space as possible to the ground-floor frontage to activate the streetscape further. Other vibrancy measures the developer is taking that our members would like to highlight include the new 15-foot wide sidewalks, street trees, and public art. We want to call particular attention to the fire lane and parking lot running along the project's east end. This fire lane could dramatically improve the public realm if implemented right, and we'd like to take extra care to emphasize its importance. As we understand, the fire lane will connect Rose Avenue to Alum Rock Avenue with entrances on both streets. This lane, if open to the public, would provide a vital pedestrian connection for residents living along Rose Avenue and other parallel streets. The lane would especially benefit James Lick High School students, as they would have a more direct route to walk to school. All residents would also have faster access to the transit stops in front of 2940 Alum Rock Avenue. We understand neighbors have expressed concern regarding vehicle traffic from the fire lane and have suggested closing the Rose Avenue entrance to mitigate the impact. However, our members ask that if the developer closes public access to Rose Avenue via car, the fire lane at least remain open to public pedestrian and bicycle travel. A new pedestrian connection is usually a good thing, and it would greatly improve the overall walkability of this area.
Transportation Score: 5
2940 Alum Rock Avenue is a standout project in our Transportation category. The project proposes a whole range of improvements covering just about all modes of transportation. One particular improvement that we highlight here, as well as in our Vibrancy category, is the potential for a new pedestrian connection between Alum Rock and Rose Avenues. It is a vital amenity, and our members want to reinforce just how important it is for the fire lane to remain open to public pedestrian traffic. Other transportation initiatives our members want to commend the developer for include widening the sidewalks from 8 feet to 15 feet, providing 100 long-term bicycle parking stalls, constructing a Class IV protected bike lane along Alum Rock Avenue, building a new VTA bus pad shelter, and providing funds for traffic calming devices along Rose Avenue. All of these measures combine to make 2940 Alum Rock Avenue an exceptional project in this category.
Intensity/Zoning Score: 4/5
While it's not the densest project our members have ever scored, 2940 Alum Rock Avenue is still a fairly dense project that will provide 400 new homes at a density of 117.5 dwelling units per acre. Our members feel that 2940 Alum Rock Avenue's location is well-suited for a project of this density. However, as always, our members ask: what's stopping this project from building taller and providing more homes? We want to encourage the developer to build bigger when possible. The City is in dire need of more homes, and if the land allows it, the developer should build it.
Sustainability Score: 3
Our members are excited by the potential for modular construction methods to further sustainable building goals. 2940 Alum Rock Avenue will use a proven modular technology field-tested right here in San José with Virginia Street Studios, another Pacific Companies project. Modular construction cuts down on the time, energy, and resources it takes to build. Not only is this better for the environment in terms of broader emissions and pollution goals, but it is also better for the immediate neighborhood because there is less exposure to loud or polluting construction materials and equipment. While modular seems impressive, our members still have two more recommendations to improve the project's sustainability. With so much surface parking, our members want to encourage the developer to use pavers to decrease the impermeable surface of the project and help increase groundwater retention. Additionally, installing rooftop solar panels could greatly benefit the environment and directly benefit residents by reducing the cost of energy. By implementing these two suggestions from our members, the project has the potential to become a great example of how to do sustainable, affordable housing.
Affordability Score: 5/5
As continual, staunch advocates of 100% affordable housing projects, our members thank the Pacific Companies for bringing 2940 Alum Rock Avenue forward. It is a massive project with deep levels of affordability. The project will provide 30% of the units to moderate-income households, 50% to low-income households, and 20% to very low-income households. Our members are particularly glad to see that the project will provide 40 units for extremely low-income households, a bracket for which San José struggles the most to build more housing. Building housing at lower AMI levels is especially important in areas like East San José, where incomes may fall well below the County’s average, thus playing a key role in preventing displacement. Our members also appreciate the mix of unit sizes and hope the three-bedroom units will allow the project to accommodate larger families.
Legacy Score: N/A
Members of Catalyze SV did not find our Legacy category applicable to this site.