SAN JOSE \u2014 A downtown San Jose apartment project linked to the city\u2019s purchase of a historic building landed final city approval despite concerns from some neighbors and a union-backed group over its height and construction.<\/p>\n
The City Council approved the development of 276 apartments<\/a> at 470 West San Carlos St. on Oct. 20 with a 10-0 vote. That vote upheld a previous approval by city planners for the proposed eight-story project and rejected an appeal of the prior ruling.<\/p>\n Stakeholders + Neighborhoods Initiative, a group formed by residents who live near the development site, led opposition to the apartment project known as The Gifford.<\/p>\n Kathy Sutherland, president of Stakeholders + Neighborhoods, said her group is worried about the project\u2019s design and how well it would mesh with the area.<\/p>\n \u201cUrban Catalyst proposes an eight-story building that, by the city\u2019s own analysis, is \u2018a building with no setbacks\u2019 at the shared property line with our homes,\u201d the group wrote in a letter earlier this year.<\/p>\n Stakeholders + Neighborhoods Initiative said typical design guidelines in downtown areas near the Diridon train station require projects to have a step-back arrangement so they don\u2019t loom over existing homes.<\/p>\n The project\u2019s precise height was a topic of debate at the meeting. Urban Catalyst, the developer, said the complex is expected to be 84 feet and 10 inches high.<\/p>\n A union-backed group suggested at the hearing that under some scenarios, the project might actually exceed 85 feet by about an inch or so and should require union workers to build.<\/p>\n Certain California and city rules crafted to streamline housing production<\/a> oblige a developer to employ unionized construction workers when a project is 85 feet or higher.<\/p>\n The project\u2019s final approval was completed in the wake of the city\u2019s purchase of a historic downtown property<\/a> at 26 through 36 South First St., known as the Knox Goodrich Building.<\/p>\n