CA: Transit agency floats plans for hundreds of affordable San Jose homes
he Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has proposed the development of hundreds of affordable homes at its long-time headquarters in North San Jose.
The VTA aims to bulldoze the existing office complex at 3331 North First St. to make way for potential housing.
"The vision for the project is a transit-oriented, mixed-income development," the VTA stated in public documents.
The first phase of redevelopment would include 330 affordable housing units on a section of the VTA-owned site at the corner of North First Street and River Oaks Place.
Eden Housing has teamed up with the VTA as the agency's developer for the affordable homes.
"VTA's Transit-Oriented Development program is helping address Silicon Valley's affordable housing shortage by transforming underutilized transit land into walkable communities with significant affordable housing near public transit stations," the VTA stated in comments emailed to this news organization.
Once fully realized, 1,100 homes could be built, the transit agency stated. The affordable homes would be phase one of what the VTA calls the River Oaks Station Transit-Oriented Development.
Space is now becoming available because the VTA decided to move its headquarters to a downtown San Jose office tower it purchased in May 2025.
The transit agency paid $63.7 million for the tower at 488 South Almaden Blvd., a price that was 60.9% below its assessed value of $163.1 million.
The office campus that VTA will exit as a result of its move downtown is adjacent to the River Oaks light rail station, giving future residents direct access to one of the VTA's train lines.
"This reduces commute costs and traffic congestion and improves access to jobs and services," the VTA stated.
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