Second Harvest gains OK of big new San Jose HQ and warehouse hub

SAN JOSE — Second Harvest of Silicon Valley has won city approval to develop a modern headquarters and warehouse in San Jose, a complex that will enable the food bank to continue to serve the public efficiently.

The new headquarters and warehouse will be at 4553 and 4563 North First Street in north San Jose’s Alviso district, city planning documents show.

Second Harvest’s original proposal for its new complex envisioned a project of 249,200 square feet. The newly approved plans would produce a headquarters and warehouse of roughly 215,700 square feet.

That’s about 13% less floor space than first proposed.

The food bank’s original proposal was stalled by a lawsuit filed in 2022 against the project by Organizacion Comunidad de Alviso, a South Bay group headed up by local activist Mark Espinosa.

The community group filed the lawsuit against San Jose, claiming the city had erred in how it applied California Environmental Quality Act provisions to the municipality’s approval of the proposed project.

In 2023, Organizacion Comunidad de Alviso, the plaintiff in the lawsuit, filed a request that the court dismiss the lawsuit with prejudice, according to court papers. The case was dismissed.

The existing 10.5-acre site where the proposed new food bank complex would be built is now vacant. The property is located on North First Street between Nortech Parkway and Bay Vista Drive,

The development proposal also envisions 315 vehicle parking spaces to 315, up from the original plan for 161 spaces; and 21 bicycle parking spaces, up from 14 spaces.

The number of employees, volunteers, vehicles, trucks, or trips won’t increase as a result of the shift in plans project, according to the food bank.

It wasn’t immediately clear when construction might begin on the new facility.