SAN JOSE — City workers are recommending San Jose back down from a proposal to build tiny homes for homeless residents on a controversial piece of land across the street from an elementary school following a backlash from neighbors.
As part of its goal to build more much-needed shelter for the city's growing homeless population, the San Jose City Council voted this summer to move forward with tiny homes on Noble Avenue near the Penitencia Creek Trail that winds between the Dr. Robert Gross Ponds. But the city staff tasked with vetting the project now want councilmembers to reconsider. Citing "additional associated challenges" with the Noble Avenue site, Deputy City Manager Omar Passons said the location is not feasible.
That doesn't mean the project is officially dead — at least not yet. City employees are expected to formally recommend killing it at or before the Nov. 29 city council meeting, at which point councilmembers will decide whether to follow that recommendation. Still, Passons' findings are likely to elicit applause from neighbors who objected to the plan.
"Staff reviewed in detail additional historical documentation that involve parcels that make up the Noble site in council district 4," Passons wrote in a memo to Mayor Sam Liccardo and the city council earlier this month. "After review of these documents, the city administration, in consultation with the city attorney's office, has come to the conclusion that the additional associated challenges associated with this site make the Noble Avenue site no longer a timely or viable option."
The city manager's office did not immediately respond when asked about which specific challenges the memo referred to.
The city council voted 8-2 in June to proceed with six tiny home sites — expanding two existing projects, building two new communities during the 2022-2023 fiscal year, and starting work on another two new sites in the future. Noble Avenue was among the projects slated for development this year. The site would have had capacity for 100 beds.
San Jose is leaning heavily on tiny homes as a strategy to mitigate its worsening homelessness crisis. The small dwellings provide a temporary shelter where unhoused people can recover from the trauma of the streets, get back on their feet and search for permanent housing. The city has five up and running so far — three of which include private bathrooms in each unit — and has another in the works near the Guadalupe River Park. The city set a goal this year of building 400 new tiny homes.
But finding sites for tiny homes often is a challenge, as it's common for nearby residents to oppose having homeless services in their neighborhood. But opposition against the Noble site seemed to gain particular traction. In August, Councilmember David Cohen, who voted against the project, asked the city to put the project on hold and consider other sites. The Noble site is dedicated park land, and it's important to preserve it as a space accessible to the public, he said.
Nearly 3,500 people have signed a Change.org petition titled "Say NO to the homeless tiny homes on Noble Ave," citing the need to preserve the "safety and peace of our children." The site is across the street from Noble Elementary School.
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