San Jose Envision Task Force Update – Residential Uses in Neighborhood Business Districts (NBD)

On February 27, 2020 the San Jose Envision Task Force voted to recommend amending four (4) existing Neighborhood Business Districts i.e., Willow Street, North 13th Street, Willow Glen (Lincoln Avenue), Japantown (Taylor Street), to allow limited residential development. Currently the four NBDs do not have a specific residential growth capacity assigned to them. The goal will be to reallocate a pool of 600 residential units from Urban Villages city-wide to allow entitlement of residential or mixed-use residential projects in the NBDs. The 600 d/u capacity would function as a pilot and can be increased as part of a future General Plan Review. The amended Neighborhood Business District overlays will add the following language:
“Residential uses are allowed in the Japantown (Taylor Street), North 13th Street, Willow Glen and Willow Street Neighborhood Business Districts. New residential or residential-mixed use development shall:

1. Where commercial or industrial space is on the site, replacement commercial square footage will be required. The percentage amount of commercial replacement will be determined on a site-by-site basis. Where commercial or industrial uses do not currently exist, no commercial space will be required unless the property is bounded by (shares a property line) with existing employment uses that also front the primary neighborhood businesses street (e.g. Lincoln Avenue, Willow Street, Taylor Street or 13th Street). In these locations, a residential project would need to provide ground-floor commercial space to create continuity of the commercial frontage along the street.
2. Maximum residential densities will be determined for each Neighborhood Business District and recommended to council by staff
3. Height limits will be determined for each Neighborhood Business District and recommended to council by staff.
4. Be allowed to keep its existing on-side density and height if it is higher than the maximums established in this policy;
5. Comply with City Design Guidelines; and
6. Adaptively reuse any historic structures that are on a property
7. If adopted, comply with the Supporting Small Business Program

To view Neighborhood Business District Area Map(s), click here, here, here , and here.