Greenbelt Alliance is excited to endorse the 826 N. Winchester development in San Jose, a transformative project set to bring vibrant, mixed-use housing near the iconic Valley Fair Mall and Santana Row. Developed by VCI Companies, this multi-story complex will feature a shared podium housing retail and commercial spaces, with two residential towers rising above.
The development will offer 135 rental units, including 20 designated as affordable housing. Standing at 17 and 13 stories respectively, the towers will be connected by a glass skybridge. This project will revitalize the current dilapidated two-story motel with much-needed housing and dynamic public spaces for the community. We appreciate VCI Companies’ continued dedication to work with the Cory Neighborhood Association, ensuring that the project is informed by and serves the people’s needs.
Moreover, 826 N. Winchester is in line with Greenbelt Alliance’s climate SMART—Sustainable, Mixed, Affordable, Resilient, Transit-Oriented—development criteria in several ways.
Connection to Transit and Amenities
Residents will enjoy amenities such as an indoor lounge and a terrace on the skybridge. The ground floor will have a public-access open space that everyone in the wider neighborhood can enjoy. While the complex holds a 139 subterranean car garage, it will have more than 18 bike parking spaces and be accessible to 3 VTA bus lines, including lines 60, 23, and 523.
The project will not only provide affordable homes, but it will also highlight sustainable features, including:
- Being committed to being LEED Silver certified
- EV charging rooms with 18 total chargers
- Native + drought-tolerant plants in green spaces
A metrics comparison based on GreenTRIP—a tool created by Transform that models traffic and greenhouse gas impacts of residential projects in California—underscores the project’s environmental benefits:
- 1,373 fewer miles driven every day compared to the Santa Clara County average.
- 31% fewer GHG impacts every day compared to the Santa Clara County average.
- 11% less parking use every day compared to the Santa Clara County average.
Greenbelt Alliance believes the 826 N. Winchester project will provide much-needed SMART, higher-density housing in San Jose. We are proud to give this project an endorsement! We hope its approval will inspire cities in Santa Clara County and around the Bay Area to be audacious and redouble their efforts to grow in more sustainable ways.
Greenbelt Alliance’s Climate SMART—Sustainable, Mixed, Affordable, Resilient, Transit-Oriented— Development Endorsement Program goals call for fully protecting the Bay Area’s greenbelt, directing growth within existing communities, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and accomplishing both in a way that equitably benefits all Bay Area residents. Our Endorsement Program supports projects that advance the right kind of development in the right places. By promoting climate SMART development, we can create thriving, resilient neighborhoods with ready access to transit and housing choices for all of the Bay Area’s people. Find out more about our Endorsement Program here. Feel free to contact our team for more information and support.
