What’s the future of Cambrian Park Plaza? Developer submits preliminary plan

What’s the future of Cambrian Park Plaza? Developer submits preliminary plan


Preliminary redevelopment plans for San Jose’s Cambrian Park Plaza were submitted to the city’s planning division on Tuesday.

Weingarten Realty bought the 17-acre, 170,000 square-foot shopping center in February 2015 for $ 49 million. The center, built in the 1950s and recognizable by its kitschy rotating carousel sign, is located at the busy intersection of Camden and Union Avenues. A rare large infill redevelopment site, and there’s a lot of community interest in the future of the much-loved “town and country” -style shopping center.

Weingarten’s preferred redevelopment plan calls for up to 180,000 square feet for hotel or office space, 87,000 square feet of retail, around 222 apartments and townhomes, and a 100,000 square-foot assisted senior living home.

The preliminary review process allows developers to get feedback from the city about a proposal before going through the formal public hearing process.

At The Shopping Center, Rate this page Currently anchored by Dollar Tree and BevMo!, Rate this page Currently has A 20 Percent Vacancy Rate “and Rising,” ACCORDING to A Website SET up by Weingarten AS Part of AN Outreach-effort to at The Community Community. At The Website Calls at The Current SET-up “Unworkable.”

“Since originally developed, the center has become unattractive to potential new tenants due to its lack of modern function and appearance.”

Cambrian is within the Camden / Hillsdale urban village plan area, and as a result the shopping center has certain minimum requirements it must meet for redevelopment.

Rate this page Currently, at The Plaza Would have have to have have 418,000 Square feet ‘of Commercial’s Space and 192 Residential Units to Meet Those requirements Type. But ACCORDING to City Planner Lesley Xavier , at The Planning Department IS Recommending to Council that at The Commercial’s Requirement BE reduced to 312,000 Square feet’. ( This is part of a four-year General Plan review which the City Council will vote on Dec. 13.)

Whether or not the Houston-based developer’s plan would meet that reduced threshold depends on the nature of its access senior living space.

IF IT Meets at The City apos Definition of A Convalescent Home , SUCH AS PROVIDING The Residents the with 40 hours per Week of inpatient Nursing Care, IT Would BE Considered Commercial’s Space. The In that Scenario, at The Total Commercial’s Space for at The Plan Would BE 367,000 Square feet ‘, less Than the current requirement but more than the planning department’s proposed reduction.

If the senior living space does not meet that definition, it would be considered housing, and the total commercial space would be 267,000 square feet.

The company also intends to hold a community meeting in early January to get feedback from residents.

Many of Weingarten’s approximately 15 Bay Area retail centers are anchored by grocery stores, and a layout provided by the company (see second picture) shows a supermarket-anchored retail center as well.

Weingarten’s website also lists an alternative proposal (labeled “possible?”) For the center that would consist solely of 190,000 square feet of retail space.

Either proposal is significantly less dense than a plan presented by the planning department that Xavier described as “purely a test fit for what that site could accommodate.”

That “test fit” envisioned 258,000 square feet of office, 154,000 square feet of office and 440 multifamily units for Cambrian.

“There’s not enough market demand … to build that type of density,” a Weingarten chief said. “Even if there was a market … it’s just far too dense from an urban planning standpoint.”

Xavier acknowledged that market demand was not considered, and said the community was “a bit alarmed” by the size of the proposal.

Cambrian technically lies on unincorporated, Santa Clara County land. But annexation should be a straightforward process – San Jose and the county have an agreement that if any improvements are made to the property, the land will be annexed by the city.

 

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