SAN JOSE — Five months after the city’s planning director gave the stamp of approval for a 6-story hotel on Winchester Boulevard, a group of West San Jose residents is appealing the decision to the San Jose City Council, citing concerns over traffic, fire safety, building height and incompatibility with the area’s urban village plan.
The 119-room hotel, which would be on a 0.69-acre lot at 1212 S. Winchester Blvd., first made its way in front of the council in January. The council unanimously signed off on rezoning the parcel from residential and commercial but rejected the design of the hotel over concerns the project wasn’t compatible with the neighborhood.
The developer, Dr. Adam Askari who is also a San Jose dentist, agreed to go back to the drawing board. He said in an interview he made several changes in an “effort to hear the concerns of the neighbors,” including removing balconies and windows facing homes, removing the rooftop restaurant and increasing the side yard setbacks on both sides from zero to 5 feet.
Because the council had already signed off on the land’s rezoning, the city’s planning director was able to approve the redesigned project in March. But residents in the area say their concerns still have not been addressed.
The hotel would be located within the Winchester Boulevard Urban Village Plan — a framework approved by the City Council in 2017 that guides the development of the 1.5-mile corridor between Interstate 280 and Impala Drive. It’s a part of the city’s urban village strategy, which is working to transform strip malls and low-density areas into vibrant centers where people can work, shop and dine within blocks of their homes.
Neighbors of the planned hotel say that Askari’s design isn’t compatible with the urban village vision and a hotel of this size would be better suited in the area north of Moorpark Avenue.
“Our main contention is that the language of the urban village was very specific and they outlined a very specific land use for the two blocks, because they’re smaller, shallow lots,” Tom Morman said in an interview.
Instead, Morman and other neighbors say they believe a smaller commercial building with a strong community connection should be built there.
City officials disagree, though, and are recommending the council on Tuesday deny the residents’ appeal. Vice Mayor Chappie Jones, who represents the district the project is in, declined to comment on where he stands with the appeal.
The developer also believes his project fits all of the criteria for the urban village plan.
“If they kill our project, they’re killing the urban village,” Askari said of the council’s looming decision.
During the design process, he said he had roughly 25 meetings with neighbors to try and address their concerns. At the last meeting, he suggested an alternative that would bring down the height and draw less traffic: a five-story building with condominiums for senior citizens.
Morman said neighbors were amenable to the idea until they found out it came with a condition. He said Askari wanted them to sign a legal document stating they would not oppose the redesigned project. The document would then be attached to the title of their homes.
Askari said he didn’t want to redesign the project, which he said would cost a couple of million dollars, only to have the neighbors oppose it once again.
It’s a practice that’s rare, according to Bob Staedler, principal executive with Silicon Valley Synergy, a land-use consultancy.
“I’ve not heard of a developer offering to switch to a different product type and in return demand something be placed on a resident’s title to agree to a project without seeing it beforehand,” he said. “It is just not a way to build rapport with your new neighbors for a new developer.”
On Tuesday, Morman hopes the council supports what he says they were promised with the urban village.
“Can we rely on this?” he said of the urban village plan. “This is what was put in writing, what was agreed to, what we were led to believe. When it’s that specific it’s pretty hard to miss.”
Source: www.mercurynews.com