The City of San Jose is no longer pursuing this policy update in light of recent state laws changes, Senate Bill 4 (SB 4), which was approved by the Governor on October 11, 2023, and became effective in January 2024. 

For more information about SB 4 please refer to this link: SB-4 Planning and zoning: housing development: higher education institutions and religious institutions 

The City is proposing changes to the General Plan and the Zoning Ordinance that would allow sites located on land designated as Public/Quasi-Public (PQP) to develop 100% deed-restricted affordable housing if:

• There is an assembly use on site; and
• The site meets specific criteria.

Assembly Use - This is a land use where people can come together for a common purpose. Examples of assembly uses are places of worship, private clubs or lodges, and theaters. Through this update those sites would be able to develop affordable housing in addition to the primary assembly use on the site.

Public/Quasi-Public - This is a land use designation in the Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan. Sites with this designation primarily have a public-serving use and may be operated as a commercial business or as a public service or institution. This includes schools, libraries, museums, airports, fire stations, convention centers, governmental offices, and other similar public-oriented or institutional land uses. For more information, see the definitions under "Additional Information" below.

background

In August 2020, the City council approved a Citywide Residential Anti-Displacement Strategy that included 10 key recommendations, including the proposed ordinance change outlined on this webpage.

The Citywide Residential Anti-Displacement Strategy seeks to develop policies and programs to prevent, mitigate, and decrease residential displacement for low-income residents in San Jose. The 10 key recommendations are steps for the City Council to consider and act on in order to:

• Produce enough housing for residents at all income levels;
• Preserve the affordable housing that already exists; and
• Protect current residents from displacement where neighborhoods are changing rapidly. 

The Citywide Residential Anti-Displacement Strategy is based on extensive community engagement and research of anti-displacement practices across the nation; an analysis of gaps in San Jose’s current anti-displacement policies and programs; an assessment of past discriminatory practices and policies which contribute to displacement; and ongoing housing policy developments at regional and state levels.

A virtual community meeting was held on August 19^th 2021 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

• Meeting Recording
• Official Meeting Notice and Agenda
• PowerPoint presentation (English)
• PowerPoint presentation (Spanish)
• PowerPoint presentation (Vietnamese)
• PowerPoint presentation (Chinese)

STAFF CONTACT

Any questions or comments can be addressed to the project manager.

Project Manager: Brent Carvalho, Planner
Email: brent.carvalho@sanjoseca.gov

The environmental review for this project is pending, once environmental review is complete the document will be posted here for public review.

Please use the Google Translate option located at the top of this webpage. Or for assistance in Spanish or Vietnamese, please contact the translators noted below.

• Spanish/Español: Para información en español acerca de esta solicitud, comuníquese con Jennifer Provedor al 408-793-4100, e índique el número de Proyecto PP21-002
  
  
• Vietnamese/Tiếng Việt: Muốn biết tin tức bằng tiếng Việt về tờ thông tin này, xin quý vị liên lạc Thai-Chau Le ở số 408-793-4305

additional information

References for Public/Quasi-Public

• General Plan Definition - Chapter 5, Page 12:
  
  Public/Quasi-Public, Density: FAR N/A. This category is used to designate public land uses, including schools, colleges, corporation yards, homeless shelters, supportive housing for the homeless, libraries, fire stations, water treatment facilities, convention centers and auditoriums, museums, governmental offices and airports. Joint development projects  — which include public and private participation such as a jointly administered public/private research institute or an integrated convention center/hotel/restaurant complex — are allowed.
  
  This category is also used to designate lands used by some private entities, including private schools, daycare centers, hospitals, public utilities, and the facilities of any organization involved in the provision of public services such as gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications facilities that are consistent in character with established public land uses. Private community-gathering facilities, including those used for religious assembly or other comparable assembly activity, are also appropriate on lands with this designation. The appropriate intensity of development can vary considerably depending on potential impacts on surrounding uses and the particular Public/Quasi-Public use developed on the site.
  
  
• Zoning Ordinance Definition Chapter 20.40.010 (D):
  The PQP Public/Quasi-Public District is intended to provide for publicly-serving uses on lots that are designated Public/Quasi-Public on the General Plan Land Use/Transportation Diagram. The publicly-serving land uses within this district can include schools, colleges, research institutions, corporation yards, homeless shelters, libraries, fire stations, water treatment facilities, convention centers with integrated hotels and restaurants, auditoriums, museums, governmental offices, airports, stadiums, and other similar publicly-oriented institutional land uses with associated incidental commercial uses supporting such publicly-oriented institutional land uses.
  
  This district may also accommodate private schools, daycare centers, hospitals, public utilities, and the facilities of any organization involved in the provision of public services such as gas, water, electricity, and telecommunications facilities that are consistent in character with established public land uses. Private community gathering facilities, including those used for religious assembly or other comparable assembly activity, may also be considered. The appropriate intensity of development can vary considerably depending on potential impacts on surrounding uses and the particular Public/Quasi-Public use developed on a site.