Catalyze SV

Sometimes, the best way to ramp up in #2025 is to figure out what you missed in 2024. Here was our last action alert of the year: https://lnkd.in/ge-wc7Bb. Our members always want to find projects to support, yet once in a blue moon, we see one so bad we have to speak out. We'd like to ask you to too! Summary: Chick-fil-A is proposing a car-centric, single-story fast food restaurant at the intersection of W. San Carlos and Race Street that will tear down a building currently occupied by two small, local businesses. The City of San Jose’s General Plan calls for the area of West San Carlos Street in Midtown San Jose to transform into one of the city’s “urban villages,” which means a walkable, transit-accessible, neighborhood of buildings 3-7 stories with active ground floors and housing above. Chick-fil-A should only be allowed here as part of a multi-story housing project or it should be located elsewhere.

#HappyNewYear! But before we fully shut the door 🚪 on 2024, let's look back at Catalyze SV's biggest accomplishments of the year, which we sent our email list this week. https://lnkd.in/g2Ht3-qv

Our work is in the media regularly, yet only once in a blue moon on TV (thanks KPIX | CBS San Francisco/Bay Area for covering our work & Alex Shoor): https://lnkd.in/gRrTU_UY Townhomes are fine in some parts of #SiliconValley. They're a part of solving our housing shortage. Yet Catalyze SV members want higher-density #housing. So we focus on advocating for bigger projects near transit & along commercial corridors. This is a math problem: we've got to add many, many more homes to lower the cost of housing.

This Wednesday, our Project Advocacy Committee will score 87 East Evelyn, a 100% affordable, 13-story, 268-unit development proposed for a 2-acre site in Mountain View. 87 East Evelyn by Affirmed Housing is split into 2 phases and has a combined density of 128 dwelling units per acre (du/ac). Phase 1 construction includes a 7-story, 161-unit building, while phase 2 consists of a 13-story, 107-unit, mass-timber building. Residents will have access to 140 parking spaces for their cars and two sizeable long-term bicycle rooms. Other resident amenities include a shared 3rd-floor courtyard, a fenced playground, and a 7,000 sq. ft. child daycare facility. The project will also create a new 3,150 sq. ft. publicly accessible plaza. To learn more about 87 East Evelyn, join our Project Advocacy Meeting tomorrow @ 6:30 via Zoom. If you would like to join or have any other questions, email Jake (projects@catalyzesiliconvalley.org).

We have a few spots left for our free tour and lunch of the 100% affordable housing project in Downtown San Jose called Arya by the developer Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA). Thanks SAHA and Housing Action Coalition for being part of putting on this tour! https://lnkd.in/gJveJPh6

🌟 It’s Giving Tuesday! A perfect time to turn gratitude into action and support the causes that matter most. Your donation today helps us: 🏠 Advocate for affordable housing 🌱 Empower our community with tools for equitable development 💬 Foster inclusivity and transparency Our goal is to raise $10,000 by the end of the year, and every contribution counts. Will you help us reach it? Your support makes lasting change possible! Donate now and be part of creating a brighter, more just future (bit.ly/CSVGivingTuesday)! #GivingTuesday #CatalyzeSV #DonateNow #BeTheChange #CommunityImpact #AffordableHousing

Alex Shoor, executive director of housing advocacy organization Catalyze SV, said his group supports the project moving forward. Ultimately, a multi-story mixed-use development is great for West San Jose, he said. While the project shaved off dozens of affordable homes, Shoor said the ones left are still a net benefit. He hopes to see more developments pursuing ambitious designs. “I still think San Jose suffers from a need for much more iconic, beautiful and enticing projects now,” Shoor told San José Spotlight. “The creativity we have in the tech sector doesn’t always transfer to the land use sector.”

✨ Inclusive Community Engagement in Action ✨ Last week, on Thursday, November 21, Catalyze SV staff had the privilege of facilitating a virtual meeting with the VTA to discuss the Equitable Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Mitigation Program. 🚍💬 What made this meeting especially impactful was the focus on inclusive participation—ensuring that ALL voices were heard and valued. 🌎💙 ✅ Language Accessibility: Thanks to the help of our amazing interpreters, participants had the option to listen in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Mandarin. 🌐🎧 This ensures that language is never a barrier to engagement. ✅ Interactive Engagement: With a Q&A portion and the ability to submit questions via chat, attendees had multiple ways to participate and ask questions in real-time. 💬 At Catalyze SV, we believe in creating spaces where every member of the community can contribute their thoughts, ideas, and feedback—no matter their background or language. This meeting was just one example of our ongoing commitment to equitable and accessible community engagement. 💪🏽 We are grateful to VTA for their partnership in making this event a success, and we look forward to many more collaborative efforts to ensure everyone has a voice. 🙌 #InclusiveEngagement #AccessibleTransportation #EquityInAction #VTA #PublicParticipation #CommunityEngagement #VMT

🌟 A heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for our 3rd Annual Catalyzing Change Awards! 🌟 We were inspired by the amazing community organizations, leaders, developers, and projects driving a more sustainable, vibrant, and equitable Silicon Valley. 💡 Here's to continuing the journey toward a better future for all! ✨ See the full list of winners and more event highlights—visit this link: https://lnkd.in/gf6ARZYj 📸

Tomorrow, our Project Advocacy Committee will score Terrascape Ventures’ proposal for the former Plesant Hills Golf Course in San José. The proposal calls for 1,716 units on a 113.5-acre site. 1,374 units will be for-sale market-rate units, while the remaining 342 units will be affordable for Low-Income and Very Low-Income households. We will meet via Zoom tomorrow, 11/20, @ 6:30. All are welcome. If you’d like to join us, email projects@catalyzesiliconvalley.org for details.