Campbell is a wonderful, wealthy town in the Silicon Valley, thanks to a city council decision, they are well on their way to be Pacoima, a slum. As the 20 townhouses squeezed into less than ancre, watch as the neighbor sell their homes and new “affordable housing takes the place of the single family homes. In a few years you will see a drop in the value of homes throughout Campbell. Then you will see the city having financial problems.
“Campbell is putting in homes wherever it can, including more than a dozen townhouses on less than an acre, to meet its housing goals.
The Campbell Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a 20-townhome development on 0.8 acres at 90 E. Latimer Ave. last month. Palo Alto-based Granite Ridge Properties will develop the 3-story project, including two moderately priced homes and one home for low-income residents.
The site, a former commercial child care center, will bring Campbell closer to its housing goals. It is unclear when construction will begin or when the project will be finished.
Don’t worry when the construction will be finished. Worry about when Campbell is finish. This is death by suicide for this city.
Campbell squeezes 20 townhomes on less than an acre
by Annalise Freimarck. San Jose Spotlight, 12/17/24 https://sanjosespotlight.com/campbell-squeezes-20-townhomes-on-less-than-an-acre/?utm_campaign=Daily%20Spotlight%20-%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_hlEqK_tCBmJko5OKMyU6buHLt9IVmenSQ6upiHMeYMrS3ZtWwjbBYZ6nKeyt9TL7QbSPIRq_jXBfrTA4soh5e1c2XSOpRnB621i7k7Hp2Xepsoz8&_hsmi=339085092&utm_content=339085092&utm_source=hs_email
Campbell is putting in homes wherever it can, including more than a dozen townhouses on less than an acre, to meet its housing goals.
The Campbell Planning Commission voted unanimously to approve a 20-townhome development on 0.8 acres at 90 E. Latimer Ave. last month. Palo Alto-based Granite Ridge Properties will develop the 3-story project, including two moderately priced homes and one home for low-income residents.
The site, a former commercial child care center, will bring Campbell closer to its housing goals. It is unclear when construction will begin or when the project will be finished.
Planning Commissioner Alan Zisser said the project met all design standards, although he wished it wasn’t as dense. He said it fits in nicely with the surrounding neighborhood, which already includes townhomes and an apartment building near downtown. He added townhomes are a large trend among developers because they pencil out.
“It’s in an area that’s very desirable. It’s walking distance to not only downtown, but to a commercial district in the Winchester and Hamilton Area,” Zisser told San José Spotlight. “It’s a good place to put high density housing on a parcel that’s not used right now.”
Granite Ridge Properties did not respond to requests for comment.
The housing project adds to the nearly 3,000 new homes Campbell must construct by 2031 to comply with state mandates. The site was not identified in the city’s plan, but City Manager Brian Loventhal said it’s in line with Campbell’s goals.
He said Campbell is already built out, with little space left to put new housing. Because of that, he said infill projects — new housing developments in existing neighborhoods — are necessary for Campbell’s housing requirements.
“That was a strategy throughout the general plan, trying to sprinkle developments throughout the community in appropriate places, recognizing where some places were more sensitive because of location or setbacks,” Loventhal told San José Spotlight. “(Infill projects) are crucial.”
Other Campbell townhome developments include a 3-story, 40-home development on Virginia Avenue and another 3-story, 108-home development on Llewellyn Avenue.
Alex Shoor, executive director of housing advocacy group Catalyze Silicon Valley, said townhomes have a place in the housing equation on smaller sites — but they often aren’t mixed-use, which he said enhances neighborhoods. He wants more affordable housing and said townhomes don’t often meet that objective.
The Campbell City Council expanded an affordable housing requirement in August, so all developers building five or more homes must make 15% of the project affordable.
“When you make decisions on land use, these are 50- to 100-year decisions,” Shoor told San José Spotlight. “If we just build townhomes now, because that’s all developers think they can do in this market, that decision locks us into a 20th-century suburban sprawl future. That’s not what we need.”
Campbell is building affordable housing outside of its planned townhome developments. The city is collaborating with VTA to develop nearly 100 affordable apartments at the Winchester light rail station’s underused parking lot.
Shoor said cities with little unused space such as Campbell need to build up to create room for affordable housing.
“There are so few sites, so every site is so precious,” he said.
