Willow Glen Losing Charm? - New Housing Proposed

Big news in Willow Glen! There's a new seven-story apartment and townhome project in the works, and it's got the neighborhood buzzing in both good and (mostly) bad ways. The building will have 126 new homes and some "cool" new retail space on Willow Street. Sounds exciting, right? Weeeeellllllll, not everyone thinks so.

The proposed building will be at 940 Willow St, San Jose, which is currently an old liquor store. The site is just two blocks from downtown WG, so, a premium location.  You're just a couple-minute walk to all sorts of restaurants and the the good stuff Willow Glen has to offer. 

At a recent community meeting, almost 200 of our neighbors called in to share their thoughts. Let's just say, not all of them are thrilled. They're worried about things like traffic congestion, the strain on utilities, and the towering building just looking odd. After all, the charm of Willow Glen is one of the big reasons people like it there.  The tallest building in WG right now is the 3 story commercial building in downtown.  A 7 story apartment building is going to stick out! 

The proposed project will have everything from studio apartments to three-bedroom townhomes, and 26 of the homes will be affordable. The city planning folks are still reviewing the project, so nothing's set in stone yet. They're listening to all the feedback, which is great because people have a lot to say. 

Some think this project could really help with the housing crunch, we absolutely need more housing. Plus, they’re planning to add some ground-floor retail space, which could be a nice perk for the neighborhood. 

But, of course, not everyone’s on board. Some folks are worried about privacy and the impact of having such a tall building nearby. It's a classic case of the old "housing vs. historic character" debate. As a realtor, I get it—we need more homes, but we also love our neighborhood’s unique charm.

I'll keep you posted as things progress. In the meantime, let’s keep the conversation going and see where this takes us. After all, change is the only constant, right? 

Have a great weekend!