Developers lay out their latest vision for the former Pleasant Hills Golf Course

Developers of the Pleasant Hills Golf Class have unveiled their latest plans for the massive swath of land that they say balances San Jose s need for housing while incorporating neighborhood input and limiting impacts on the existing neighborhood Related Articles Gov Newsom Legislature tangle with construction unions over minimum wage Apple property shopping spree tops half-billion dollars in South Bay this week Costco buys office and research building near San Jose warehouse store East Bay retail mall lands buyer in million-plus property deal Apple buys office hub in Cupertino in deal that tops million Lakeside District the maturation firm run by real estate veterans Tony Arreola and Mark Lazzarini has planned for homes comprising a mix of single-family and mixed-use properties for Pleasant Hills The -acre site bounded by Tully and White Roads across from Lake Cunningham Park could be an integral piece in helping San Jose meet its ambitious housing goals Unlike the standard maturation process this project took an innovative approach to engage residents by collecting feedback from the society through populace workshops and meetings on the types of uses they would like to see before the city adopted a set of guiding principles in October which the project would need to follow We have proposed a high-quality progress that is responsive to the society s vision for the site Arreola recounted The Mercury News Our unit mix transitions from the existing single-family neighborhood to offer a wide variety of opportunities for first-time homebuyers while also offering much-needed affordable multi-family and senior housing The key now is to advance the project through the permitting process so it can deliver the housing San Jose so desperately necessities The fate of the now-defunct golf program has been a source of consternation for residents in East San Jose as the site was never envisioned for crucial residential advance raising questions about how such an ambitious project could impact the surrounding single-family neighborhoods Opened in Pleasant Hills has sat vacant since except for intermittent grazing on the property During the engagement process group members requested a mix of densities and housing types while limiting building heights due to the current character of their neighborhood An initial proposal had called for units prompting housing advocates to say the city would miss a great opportunity to fill the housing gap by not requiring higher densities on such a large piece of land District City Councilmember Domingo Candelas who represents the area emphasized that society input remains crucial and that the project must reflect both the society s voices and city strategy We re still in the early stages of the Pleasant Hills Golf Curriculum growth process and there is much work ahead before a final project is brought to the Council Candelas announced From the outset I have been clear about the district s guiding principles being the foundation of any future enhancement to accurately reflect the demands of the surrounding region Although the property is not part of San Jose s housing element which runs until the city as a whole requirements to plan for units to meet demand However San Jose has struggled to keep pace with the city failing to see a single construction start last year for market-rate multi-family developments over units making the Pleasant Hills project a anticipated bonus should it be constructed Recognizing the need for more density Lakeside Region s latest proposal increased the units per acre count to It includes small lot single-family homes with alley-loaded garages and shared courtyards two- and three-story townhomes and three-story townhomes stacked above first-floor flats The developers also have planned a mixed-use area at the southwest corner of the site which will include a variety of affordable senior and multi-family apartments along with workforce and market-rate apartments all situated atop neighborhood-serving retail space Land-use experts warned that pushing the density levels too high would not only aggravate the surrounding neighborhoods but also potentially impact the project s ability to be built A project of this size has multiple complexities but the largest one is the ability to finance it land-use consultant Bob Staedler mentioned The product mix like the one proposed makes it feasible to finance and execute the project That s one of the major points that gets lost when you talk about delivering housing units A rendering depicts Lakeside Community's vision to add a natural park space to the proposed progress at the former Pleasant Hills Golf Class Courtesy of Lakeside Region Aside from the housing components the maturation has envisioned a public center a central square with cafes restaurants and ground-floor retail and naturally landscaped park spaces to promote biodiversity and community vitality Pathways will connect the amenities and also link them to light rail services and Lake Cunningham Park The public could also have a central park with a stage for performances and a lawn area for seating Residents spoke up for quality parks safe streets and a variety of homeownership opportunities for our workforce and their families Lazzarini announced We have tried our best to honor the time vitality and community tools invested by bringing to life an inclusive vision for the site working together with neighborhood stakeholders to deliver new housing opportunities While the project is still by no means a slam dunk it has received generally positive reviews from certain nearby neighborhood leaders who have been involved in the region engagement process from the beginning From what I saw there and what I ve heard they have been trying to incorporate input from the locality and create enthralling spaces for civic engagement revealed District Region Roundtable President Pat Waite They ve been very cognizant of the region s desires and not to be an unpleasant thing plunked down on the corner I think they are moving in the right direction Specific neighborhood leaders however still have concerns Christina Bui a longtime resident and president of the Tully Road-Eastridge Business Association announced she would like to see even more engagement including with younger generations and had requested for more group spaces that the existing neighborhood could access Michael Gabler president of the Norwood Neighborhood Association stated that one of his primary concerns was the limited number of entry and exit points proposed for the new society which could lead to traffic issues for residents While he was not happy with the bump in housing units Gabler explained he understood the need for compromise If you ask preponderance of the neighbors they would be happy leaving it to the cows but that s not really a feasible resolution Gabler stated Then you have a very small contingent saying we should be building thousands more homes but that would lead to a whole host of problems