Republic Metropolitan had deliberate on growing 240-units of workforce, pupil and inexpensive housing at 500 South Benton Road in Santa Clara.
A San Francisco developer filed a lawsuit towards Santa Clara immediately, accusing town of violating state housing regulation and breaching their contract by killing the corporate’s inexpensive and workforce housing venture behind closed doorways.
Developer Republic Metropolitan was proposing to construct 170-units of pupil and workforce housing and 70 inexpensive houses on a parcel owned by town and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority at 500 South Benton St.
The two.6 acre-lot is at the moment a parking zone between the CalTrain station and Santa Clara College. Along with the 240-units of housing, the developer was additionally planning to construct 12,000 sq. toes of retail and 32,670 sq. toes of leisure house on the positioning.
However within the 161-page lawsuit, which was filed in Santa Clara County Superior Courtroom, the developer says town “unjustifiably blocked” the venture after two years of labor.
Santa Clara metropolis spokesperson Lon Peterson declined to touch upon the lawsuit, stating that town doesn’t touch upon pending litigation.
Republic Metropolitan entered into an unique negotiating settlement with town in 2018 over the Benton Road property, however in October 2020, the Santa Clara Metropolis Council met in closed session and voted to terminate the venture for causes the developer stated town by no means disclosed. The council had voted two months earlier to increase the negotiating settlement.
Now, Republic Metropolitan desires a choose to order town to renew negotiations and pay damages — the developer estimates it’s incurred greater than $5 million in bills over the venture.
“The town’s abandoning of this venture was mindless and incorrect — and dangerous for
town’s residents and the college,” Joe Cotchett, one of many developer’s attorneys stated in a information launch saying the lawsuit. “The time has come to place a cease to native politics standing in the best way of constructing inexpensive housing that California so desperately wants.”
Apart from allegations that town breached its settlement with Republic Metropolitan, the developer additionally alleges Santa Clara violated the Housing Accountability Act by not approving the venture amid a statewide housing disaster. The act, which was handed in 1982 and has been strengthened lately, limits the explanations cities can use in placing down housing proposals.
Along with the lawsuit, the developer has additionally requested the California Division of Housing and Group Growth (HCD) and the state Lawyer Normal’s Workplace to analyze the matter.
Final 12 months, Lawyer Normal Rob Bonta introduced that his workplace was forming a housing strike drive to carry cities accountable for not following state housing regulation. HCD already makes use of the Housing Accountability Act as a device in its enforcement.
Todd David, the manager director of the Housing Motion Coalition, informed this information group that the nonprofit helps the venture due to the excessive proportion of inexpensive models. He worries that when cities deny housing near transit — on this case, the close by CalTrain station — it results in additional sprawl.
“It pushes individuals additional and additional out from transit facilities and job facilities and it creates tremendous commutes,” he stated. “We have now to be occupied with environmentalism and housing.”