San Jose Planning Director Hearing - October 29, 2025
San Jose Planning Director Hearing - October 29, 2025
Planning Director Hearing (delegated by Director Christopher Burton) presided over by Hearing Officer Martina Davis via Zoom. Two agenda items were considered: a site development permit for a parking lot expansion at 748/760 South First Street, and a large 737-unit multiphase residential project at 211-281 River Oaks Parkway. Both items were approved following public testimony.
Consent Calendar
- H25001 / ER25013 (748/760 South First Street): Site development permit to expand a parking lot for an existing commercial building, including removal of two ordinance-sized trees on a 0.4-acre site. Initially placed on consent calendar but moved to public hearing after a member of the public requested to speak.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Michael Hazleton (public) opposed the parking lot expansion, arguing that parking lots are a poor use of urban land, contribute to heat island effect, encourage driving, and conflict with climate goals. He urged consideration of higher and better uses for the vacant lot.
- Oscar Masaregos (field representative, Carpenters Union Local 405, representing ~3,500 members in Santa Clara County) spoke in support of the River Oaks Parkway residential project. He emphasized the importance of good wages, safety, local hiring, and apprenticeships to ensure the project builds community opportunity.
Discussion Items
- Parking Lot Expansion (748/760 South First Street): Staff (Cora McNaughton) presented the project: expansion of an existing parking lot onto an adjoining vacant lot currently used for vehicle storage. Two ordinance-sized trees would be removed; 10 trees planted as replacement (required ratio 4:1, so 8 required). Applicant Greg Evans noted the lot would serve the adjoining business and include 16 publicly available DC fast charging stations, an underground infiltration tank to treat stormwater on-site, and off-site bioretention for modified curb cuts (reducing from three to one). Hearing Officer Davis acknowledged urban form concerns but found the project met code requirements and incrementally improved the area.
- River Oaks Parkway Residential Project (211-281 River Oaks Parkway): Staff (Alec Tianza) reported on the 9.82-acre project: 737 units total (505 market-rate apartments in a 7-story building, 132 affordable units at up to 80% AMI in a 5-story building, and 100 for-sale townhomes in 14 three-story buildings). Density of 76.2 dwelling units per acre, consistent with the Transit Employment Residential Overlay (TERO). The project requires one density bonus incentive/concession and five waivers (stucco, minimum lot sizes, tree canopy coverage, tree spacing, driveway placement). An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared and circulated (May 1 to June 17, 2025); 10 comment letters were received with no new significant impacts. The applicant (Scott Conley, Valio Partners) and architect (Check Tang) presented design highlights: preservation of 10 redwood trees along River Oaks Parkway, a greenbelt connecting all phases, public improvements including widening Iron Point Drive, new crosswalks, and contributions to protected bike lanes and traffic cameras.
- Note on tree counts: The agenda description states 148 trees removed (116 ordinance-size, 68 non-ordinance), but staff later said 184 trees removed; the applicant stated 10 redwoods preserved. This discrepancy was not resolved in the hearing.
Key Outcomes
- Parking Lot Expansion (H25001 / ER25013): Approved. Hearing Officer found the project conforms with CEQA (Class 1 exemption) and city standards, and noted the addition of EV charging stations and tree replacement as improvements.
- River Oaks Parkway Residential Project (SDP & Tentative Map): Approved. The EIR was certified (State Clearinghouse No. 2024110255). Hearing Officer praised the design for requiring few waivers/concessions and for placing taller buildings along the park. No health/safety issues were identified.
- Both decisions are appealable per Title 20 and Title 21 of the San Jose Municipal Code.
Meeting Transcript
Okay, good morning everybody. We are calling to order the planning director hearing of October 29th, 2025. My name is Martina Davis, and I am the hearing officers for today's agenda on behalf and delegated by the Director of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, Christopher Burton. The meeting is being held via Zoom conference call. Members of the public may participate by following instructions listed on page two of the agenda. If you would like to provide public comment, you have two methods to do so. For participants who joined electronically and have audio input available during the uh on their computer or smartphone, you can use the raised hand feature in Zoom during the agenda item you'd like to speak on, or click star nine on your phone. Remember to keep your raised hand feature on until planning support staff identifies your turn to speak. During the meeting, if you have calling or if you are calling in and you are not joining electronically or you need to call in for your audio, during the meeting, please call 408 535 8517 or email planning support staff at San Jose CA dot G-O-V and identify your name that's listed in Zoom, your phone number or your phone number that you'll call into Zoom with and what item or items you would like to comment on. All members of the public will remain on mute until the individual identifies they would like to speak and they are unmuted. Planning support staff will identify you by name when it's your turn to speak. At that time, you will be unmuted and can provide comment for the allotted time. If you exceed your allotted time, you may be muted. So we can move on to the next speaker. Please note the following. The hearing procedure and order of input will be as following as follows. I will identify each project as described on the agenda. For those items on the consent calendar, I will wish if anyone wishes to speak on the item. If a separate discussion is warranted, I will move the item to a public hearing portion of the agenda. If a separate discussion is not needed, the item will remain on consent calendar for approval. For those items listed under public hearing, I will ask staff to provide a brief report. The applicant or their representative who wishes to speak on an item will have up to five minutes to speak and should identify themselves by stating their name for the record. After the applicant or their representative has spoken, any member of the public who wishes to speak on the item may provide testimony up to two minutes per speaker, either for or against the project. All members of the public should identify their name for the record, although this is not required. Following comments from the public, the applicant may make additional remarks for up to five minutes. I will then close the public hearing and I may ask staff to answer questions, respond to comments made by the pub applicant or the public or further discuss the item. I will then take action on the item. If you challenge these land use decisions in court, you may be limited to raising only those issues you or someone else raised at this hearing or in written correspondence delivered to the city at or prior to the public hearing. The planning director's actions on agenda items will be final when the permit is signed and mailed unless the permit or environmental clearance determination is appealed. The planning director's actions on permits are appealable in accordance with the requirements of Title 20 of the municipal code, which is the zoning ordinance. The planning director's actions on environmental review for the permits under the California Environmental Quality Act or CEQA are separately appealable in accordance with the requirements of Title 21 of the municipal code, which is the environmental clearance ordinance. Before we begin, I want to remind members of the public to follow our code of conduct at meetings. This includes comments on the specific agenda item only, or please comment on the specific agenda item only. Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with the hearing officer or staff. The hearing officer's staff and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language. Repeated failure to comply with the code of conduct, which will disturb, disrupt, or impede the orderly conduct of the meeting may result in removal from the meeting. The meeting will now come to order. Okay. So first uh agenda item is deferral. So any item scheduled for referral for a future meeting will be moved to this portion agenda and considered for the matter of deferral. I will identify any items that are proposed for deferral and ask for comments from the audience if you want to change any deferral dates or question deferring any of these items. Please use the raised hand feature in Zoom or click star nine uh to raise your hand to speak. I will now open the public hearing and we have no items proposed for deferral today. Um, so anyone wish to speak on that. I will give a second raised hands. Okay, none. Uh the matter of deferrals is now closed. We will move on to the consent calendar as a reminder. There will be no separate discussion on an individual consent calendar items as they're considered to be routine and can will be considered in one action unless the item is moved to the public hearing calendar for separate discussion. The public may comment on the entire consent calendar and any items to be removed to the consent calendar by the hearing officer.
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