The group also said the project goes against the spirit of the latest General Plan, and that increased traffic from the site will generate more greenhouse gases. In a three-page letter it sent last week to the mayor and council, the Loma Prieta Chapter of the Sierra Club asked the council not to approve the new zoning, saying the project would only provide short-term economic benefits. Planning Director Joe Horwedel called it an opportunity “to take a typical shopping center and really turn it into something different.”
A village green area for outdoor events, such as a farmers market or live music, creates an important “sense of place,” planners say. While it will include some big and medium-size box retailers, it also will feature plenty of smaller stores and restaurants that will be closer to each other - accented by wider sidewalks to encourage more walking and bicycling in the development. Unlike more traditional shopping centers, city planners say the Almaden Ranch Retail Center’s appeal is its pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly retail development, different from those in the surrounding area. City officials also think the site could create jobs for about 700 workers and hundreds of construction jobs. The site is located across the street from a Best Buy and Walmart, adjacent to a shopping center that contains a Safeway store, among other retailers, and a larger shopping center with a Costco and Barnes & Noble less than a mile south on Almaden Expressway.īut city planners say current and proposed traffic light and road improvements, including an extension of Cherry Avenue from Almaden Expressway to Sanchez Drive, will reduce congestion.Īnd while the project would increase the area’s retail density, San Jose officials predict the 400,000 square feet of retail space will become a regional center for many South San Jose shoppers.ĭepending on the number of tenants, the city’s Office of Economic Development believes the site, which could accommodate at least 30 retailers, both small and large, could generate from $500,000 to $750,000 in annual sales tax. Plans for the development, called the Almaden Ranch Retail Center, have been held up by those who say another large retail mecca in the area is unnecessary and will generate an even greater traffic nightmare than they say exists now. “Not a lot of folks are putting up private dollars to make an investment as significant as this,” said Rocha. Rocha praised the doggedness of the nearby neighborhood associations for their suggestions for improvements, calling their work “impressive.” But he also gave a public nod to Gerry DeYoung, president of Ruth and Going, which is designing the site, for responding to the public’s concerns, as well as the engineering firm’s willingness to invest in San Jose “at this economic time.” City Councilman Don Rocha, who represents the area, also responded to neighbors’ concerns by getting preliminary funding approved for a pedestrian bridge that will provide access over the nearby Guadalupe River. Staff and planning have done a good job working with this site.”Įarly on, the city’s planning staff had successfully pushed for changes to the project, including more landscaping, fewer parking spaces, smaller tenant buildings and a family-friendly “village green” area. “When you compare this project to what is across the street, I would say it’s vastly superior to most of the shopping centers we have. … This is a project that will help us do that,” Reed said. “We’ve asked staff to aggressively pursue that (issue). Reed estimates the city loses up to 20 percent of retail sales tax revenue that now goes to other cities where San Jose residents shop. Saying the appellant’s traffic issues were not significant enough to halt the project, Mayor Chuck Reed supported the zoning change because he believes the new retail center will help boost retail sales tax revenue in the city. San Jose City Council approves mega-retail center in Almaden area – The Mercury NewsĬouncilwomen Rose Herrera, Nancy Pyle and Madison Nguyen were absent.