Green Republic VTA Project Myth vs. Fact


Myth: Your current plan does not comply with the Midtown Specific Plan or the San Jose General Plan. You will either have to change one or both of these plans or your project will be economically unfeasible.

Fact:  The current conceptual plan fits within the San Jose General Plan/Midtown Specific Plan requirements for height and residential density. Our current plan includes destination retail, residential, pedestrian pathways, green building practices and promotion of healthy lifestyles through the practices and guidelines associated with the VTA’s Community Design and Transportation (CDT) program.  The entire 8.25 acre property is designated in the General Plan and Midtown Specific Plan for Transit Oriented Mixed Use.  These plans also call for:

After the Purchase and Sale Agreement is ratified, we will submit a project to the City of San Jose and begin the planning process. We are committed to working with city planners to ensure that our project meets the City’s planning requirements, as well as working with community members to understand how our project will fit into their neighborhood.

Modifications to a conceptual design are always a part of project and will happen throughout the planning process. As we have known from the beginning that this project would have to go through the San Jose planning process, we are confident that our agreement with VTA, for the sale of the land, will allow us the flexibility to modify the plan as necessary to get entitlements without changing the Purchase and Sales Agreement. We are committed to building a sustainable, master plan development that promotes less car trips through light rail and bus ridership.

Myth: The VTA Board of Directors has a role in determining the height, density and architectural elements of this proposed project

Fact: The agreement between Green Republic and the VTA is solely a Purchase and Sale Agreement for the property along West San Carlos and Sunol Streets.  However, the agreement between Green Republic the VTA requires Green Republic to present a conceptual design for a project that adheres to the principles of TOD and the VTA’s CDT plans.  The more intricate details of the project such as design elements, height, residential density, retail space etc. will be vetted and determined through the City of San Jose planning process. 

Myth: The design Green Republic has for this site is the final version for the development

Fact:   The design that was submitted to the VTA is not our final design plan for the site—it is purely conceptual.  We submitted these plans to the VTA during the ENA process to develop the phased terms of our draft Purchase and Sale Agreement (formally known as the DDA). The project design will be developed based on San Jose’s General Plan and Midtown Specific Plan as well as the feedback we get from the community at additional outreach meetings and with the City of San Jose Planning Staff.  The conceptual plan presented by Green Republic was an illustration of what a development could look like using densities and heights from the San Jose General Plan/Specific Plan TOD policy and guidelines.  We have formed a community steering committee that will work with our development team to give input on major aspects of the design.  

Myth: If the VTA Board of Directors approves the sale of the land, the City of San Jose will feel compelled to approve this design in its current form as many San Jose City Council Members are also VTA Board Members.

Fact:  If the VTA Board of Directors approves the sale of the land, Green Republic will have to start at the beginning of the planning process just like every project that is proposed in the City of San Jose. As the project will have to meet all San Jose planning standards as well as environmental standards it can and will change before it will go before San Jose City Council. At the time the project is before the City Council, they will approve or deny it based on planning staff recommendations as well as community support or opposition.  By approving the sale of the land, the VTA Board of Directors gives Green Republic the opportunity to submit and begin to process this project through the City of San Jose Planning Department. For a complete timeline, please visit the San Jose Planning Process section of this website.

Myth: The current infrastructure cannot handle additional 400-800 residential units

Fact: This is one of the many issues that will be studied in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for this project.  However, we do believe that the current infrastructure with some modifications will be able to support a project with residential density levels and retail requirements similar to the conceptual project design. Green Republic plans on complying with all mitigation measures identified during the EIR process. 

Myth: You currently have no park plans proposed

Fact: We are committed to complying with the City of San Jose’s park land requirements which include on site parks, paying in lieu fees and dedicating parkland in the area.  Furthermore, we plan on working with the community to determine the park’s amenities and hope to connect our development to the Los Gatos Creek Trail.  The project will also have extensive on-site landscaping including rooftop gardens as well as shrubbery along pedestrian walkways and courtyards to make it aesthetically appealing to both our future residents and neighbors.

Myth: This project is taking away from Mayor Reed’s preservation of employment lands and no net job loss policy

Fact: Our project site has a Transit Oriented Mixed Use designation in the San Jose General Plan/Midtown Specific Plan due to its proximity to the Vasona Light Rail Line. It has been slated for residential, retail and office development since the inception of the General Plan and Midtown Specific Plan and therefore does not fit into Mayor Reeds “no net job loss policy”. In fact, our project will help bring new jobs to the community through our proposed retail space  

Myth: There is currently little to no funding for the proposed Vasona Light Rail Station (LRS) along your proposed project

Fact: If approved, Green Republic will contribute $1 million to the VTA towards improving light rail in the area.   KB Homes, who recently built units on the former Del Monte Cannery site, is contractually obligated to give $1 million towards the building of the Vasona LRS.  The remaining financing for the LRS will come from a variety of sources including federal transportation grants, Measure B sales tax dollars and VTA bond revenues.

Myth:  The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) selected Green Republic to develop this site because Green Republic planned to develop multiple high rise towers as tall as 25 stories.

Fact:  Green Republic was chosen by the VTA Board after a competitive selection process between three qualified developers.  We were selected because our proposal most satisfied the goals of the VTA’s Joint Development Program (JDP). The purpose of these goals is to help plan and develop the highest and best housing, office and retail uses around station sites and along transit corridors, improve transportation system capacity by increasing transit use and generate a long-term source of revenue for the VTA, to help increase the value of its services and the surrounding TOD properties.

As part of the JDP, VTA developed selection criteria to ensure that projects meet the goals stated above.  Some of the key elements include compliance with their Community Design and Transportation (CDT) plan, experience with Urban Infill and Transit Oriented Development and a commitment to contribute to future light rail improvements.

Throughout the VTA’s Request For Proposal (RFP) selection process, the VTA Staff coordinated with Senior Planning Staff from the San Jose Planning Department to critique the responses to submitted RFP’s.  Based on the strength of our application, Green Republic was unanimously chosen by VTA Board of Directors to be the exclusive developer.