The Santa Clara County officials are celebrating the completion of a unique project that saved a historic building from demolition and converted it into four units of affordable housing.
The Pallesen Apartments were at risk of demolition before the Preservation Action Council of San José led a community campaign to save the building and move it to a nearby property owned by the City of San José. Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley worked with volunteers to renovate the four apartments for sale as condominiums to people with low and very low incomes.
The county contributed $1 million to the affordable homeownership development from its $950 million Measure A Affordable Housing Bond, which was approved by county voters in 2016.
“To address housing affordability in our community, we need all types of affordable housing options, including affordable ownership opportunities that allow individuals and families an opportunity to build equity alongside housing stability,” said Santa Clara County Supervisor Betty Duong. “Thanks to voters who approved the 2016 Measure A Affordable Housing Bond, we are making homeownership attainable and ensuring more of our community members can continue building their future right here in San José.”
On March 28, the county joined Habitat for Humanity, the City of San José, community members and other partners at 140 E. Reed St. San José to commemorate the completion of the project, now known as 4th and Reed. The event included remarks by Rep. Sam Liccardo, Assemblyman Ash Kalra, Supervisor Betty Duong, and Janice Jensen of Habitat for Humanity.
The Pallesen Apartments were constructed in 1910, according to the Preservation Action Council of San José, and designed by Wolfe and McKenzie, a San José firm founded by renowned architects Frank Delos Wolfe and Charles McKenzie. The building features custom cabinets and other wood details that were preserved as part of the restoration.
“This renovation is truly cause for celebration,” said Janice Jensen, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley. “It is a testament to the power of partnership, ingenuity and community to build transformational housing opportunity in an area where it is so sorely needed.”
Santa Clara County is now in the 10th year of implementing its affordable housing bond, which is on track to create more than 6,700 new units of affordable housing, far exceeding the county’s original goal of 4,800 units.
In San José, the county has invested more than $400 million from the affordable housing bond in 39 developments, which it said will create more than 1,700 homes.
The affordable housing bond is an essential part of the County’s effort to address the region’s homelessness and housing affordability crises. It not only provides deeply affordable housing to people who struggle to afford the high cost of housing in Silicon Valley but also creates supportive housing for people who are experiencing homelessness, including veterans, families, young adults and seniors.
For more information on the affordable housing bond, visit the county’s Measure A webpage.
