Homes may sprout on San Jose site occupied by older office buildings

SAN JOSE — Affordable homes could sprout on the site of an older San Jose office center that’s more than six decades old, city documents show.

The proposed development is slated to be built at 259 Meridian Avenue in San Jose, according to a preliminary proposal filed with the city’s Planning Department.

If the project is built, the housing development would include 154 units, the city planning documents show.

The six-story project would be developed within the framework of SB 330, a law that’s designed to streamline the process for the approval of housing developments.

The Meridian Avenue project site is located between West San Carlos Street and Norton Avenue.

The 1.3-acre development site currently consists of three one-story office buildings, city documents show. The three office buildings were built in 1958, according to the LoopNet commercial property database.

This isn’t the first time housing has been proposed on this site. Sometime around 2020, a 226-unit residential and commercial mixed-use complex was proposed on the property. That project was never developed.

At present, the property is owned by Paul Lin and Krista Lin as well as an affiliate that the Lins control that’s called Holmes Business LLC, a real estate database shows.

At the end of June 2023, the site’s assessed value was $5.6 million, including the three structures and the land beneath them.

Milestone Housing Group, which specializes in the development of affordable homes, has floated the current plans calling for a 154-unit residential complex, according to the city documents.