Vision emerges for San Jose housing towers planned for parking lot

SAN JOSE — A veteran real estate firm has disclosed its vision for building well over 700 residential units in downtown San Jose, a pivot that scrubs a proposal for offices at the site.

The towers would feature hundreds of balconies and outside “rooms,” according to the latest concepts for the San Jose project, which is proposed by Canada-based Westbank, a mega-developer with a global reach.

A proposed 768 residential units would sprout on what is now a surface parking lot at 35 South Second St. in San Jose, the project plans state.

In 2021, Westbank proposed a curving tower with 194 housing units on 10 floors and 314,000 square feet of office space on another 10 floors.

The aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak and the tech industry’s wide-ranging downsizing, however, forced countless developers nationwide to scuttle their plans for new speculative offices built without tenants in tow.

Housing demand, however, remains elevated, especially in regions such as the Bay Area with its shortage of housing.

As a result, Westbank now wants to build a 28-story housing tower next to a 27-story residential high-rise, the plans show.

The project also would contain 10,700 square feet of ground-floor retail and 26,100 square feet of residential lobbies and amenities.

Five underground levels would be built below the main buildings, including four levels of parking, plans on file with San Jose city officials show.

The ground level will include alleyways. The project will also contain what is called an “urban room.” The residential levels will include landscaped balconies. Roof terraces are also envisioned, according to the proposal.

The walking surfaces will include brick pavers, green islands, water features and curved bands of granite, the project plans show.

Street furniture and outdoor seating areas will complement the storefronts, according to the proposal.

The residential floors will feature alternating outdoor “rooms” and balconies, the city documents show.