By Eli Wolfe, San Jose Spotlight, March 22, 2022
“Santa Clara County is acquiring more land to build hundreds of affordable homes for disadvantaged residents.
“On [March 22], the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to purchase four properties in San Jose, Santa Clara, and Morgan Hill, which will cost the county more than $17 million and provide 324 apartments.
“The projects represent an ongoing campaign to build up the region’s housing stock for veterans, agricultural workers, seniors, and people with developmental disabilities. The projects will be partly financed through funds from Measure A — an affordable housing bond approved by voters in 2016.
“One of the sites approved for purchase is … in Morgan Hill. This project calls for 73 new apartments: 18 to rehouse homeless individuals and families, 24 for households earning very low income, and 30 for agricultural workers.
“Another site is … in Santa Clara. This project will provide 80 apartments, including permanent housing for homeless seniors, and seniors making up to [half] the area median income.
“Recent efforts to build housing in Santa Clara without county assistance have been stymied by residents. Last November, the City Council rejected a proposal to build 60 units of transitional housing after scores of residents — some coordinating their talking points in a [private online chatroom] — spoke out against the idea during a city meeting.”
Read the full article here. (~4 min.)