Join us on Thursday, November 7, 2024, 6:00-7:30p.m. for a community meeting on this project. Details below.

The Eastside Alum Rock Historic Resource Survey project is a part of the preparation of the Eastside Alum Rock Urban Village Plan (UVP), which will get underway in late summer 2024.

The vision for the UVP area, located east of 680, is to create a more urban, vibrant, and walkable corridor with high-density residential uses and high-intensity commercial/office uses. The Eastside Alum Rock corridor is planned to connect to the future 28th Street/Little Portugal BART) station, the Alum Rock Light Rail Station, and the Alum Rock Transit Center on Capital Avenue.

Project Goal

This Eastside Alum Rock Historic Survey project is one of several historic surveys that implement the Citywide Historic Resource Survey Strategy, authorized by the San José City Council in 2017. 

The project's goal is to identify potential historical resources in the Eastside Alum Rock UVP area and document the area’s history from the community’s perspective. This will inform the preparation of the urban village plan and will help decision-makers consider the protection of significant cultural and historical properties that tell the stories of the community’s development. 

Read the San José Historic Context Statement Update and East Santa Clara Street/Alum Rock Avenue Historic Context Statement to learn about the historical development patterns of San José and the survey area. These documents provide a foundation for understanding the potential significance of properties in the survey area. 

Project Location

The Eastside Alum Rock Urban Village is located northeast of Highway 680 in East San José and centers around Alum Rock Avenue. Major intersections include North Capitol Avenue and North White Road.

The area is currently developed with a mix of commercial and residential uses. It is bordered to the north, south, and east by residential neighborhoods comprised of single-family detached residences and low-rise apartment buildings.

Project Description 

The Eastside Alum Rock Urban Village encompasses approximately 108 parcels, of which:

• 57 of the parcels contain structures built in or before 1979 and are 45 years old or older (source: Santa Clara County Assessor's Office).
• 29 parcels have no year-built information; these will be field-checked to determine if they contain structures 45 years or older.

Project Team. The City hired Architectural Resources Group (ARG) to conduct the historic resource survey under the guidance of the City's Historic Preservation Officer. ARG will conduct a “windshield survey" (drive-by) of the identified parcels followed by a field survey of the properties that appear to be potentially significant and eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and/or eligible for listing in the San José Historic Resources Inventory as a Candidate City Landmark or Structure of Merit.

PUBLIC OUTREACH & STORY SHARING 

Working with historical consultant ARG, the San José Planning Division is inviting the public to a community meeting on November 7, 2024 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. where everyone can learn about the project and how to share information and stories. Please visit the Meetings Detail page for details.

Share Your Story. Community members can also share information using the Share Your Story page. The public can submit photographs, documents, or memories related to a specific building, public space, or streetscape within the Eastside Alum Rock Survey area.

CONTACT

For questions, please contact:
Dana Peak, Historic Preservation Officer
dana.peak@sanjoseca.gov
(408) 534-2990