ARUVA’s Plan for Equitable Development

Dear Community Allies,

On behalf of the members of the Alum Rock Urban Village Advocates (ARUVA) we write to express our support for the renovation of the stretch of District 5 that the City has designated as the Alum Rock Urban Village (ARUV) . As longtime residents and business owners in this area, we are excited about the prospects for new developments that will bring new neighbors, preserve existing businesses, catalyze the emergence of new businesses, open new opportunities for existing residents to move into upgraded housing and celebrate the rich legacies and cultural heritage of our beloved community.

With great optimism we present the ARUVA Plan for Equitable Development . Our plan provides a vision for the Alum Rock Avenue corridor that ensures positive outcomes for the existing and future members of our community. In order for the Alum Rock Urban Village to achieve the most positive outcomes, we believe what is needed is a plan that intentionally is driven by a commitment to Equity – a framework for development that seeks to invest first and foremost in the existing and historical communities of surrounding the City of San Jose’s Alum Rock Urban Village while secondarily creating opportunities for new communities.

The ARUVA Plan for Equitable Development is focused on the outcomes that can be achieved through the development process. These outcomes are:

  1. Authentic Community Input - ARUVA defines “authentic community input” as the participation of existing residents and business owners in the planning of the Alum Rock Urban Village (ARUV) - including both the overarching objective themes of the entire village as well as the individual development projects included within. All planning shall reflect the priorities and the negative consequences that the community specifies;

  2. Affordability & Anti-Displacement - Across the entire footprint of the ARUV, at least 50% of all new housing shall be affordable to existing households within the 95116 ZIP code area. In this zip code area, this translates to 50% of units being built at Very Low Income (VLI) and Extremely Low Income (ELI) standards.

    1. Of note, individual market rate housing projects shall build at least 15% ELI and VLI affordable units onsite.

    These new housing units shall provide a mix of affordable rental and ownership opportunities. Furthermore, new housing sites shall provide stable homes for a healthy mix of families, seniors, students and young adults;

  3. Local Preference & Anti-Displacement policies and administrative rules shall be adopted:

    1. To mitigate the very real threat of displacement of existing residents from their homes in the bordering neighborhoods;

    2. To mitigate the very real threat of displacement of existing businesses along Alum Rock Ave and ensure that at least 75% of existing non-industrial businesses remain in operation on Alum Rock Avenue for at least the next 10 years;

    3. For both, ARUVA is supportive of other allies’ efforts to advocate for the acceptance of a broad range of documents to demonstrate eligibility for local preference policies;

    4. ARUVA is in support of the use of local labor (defined as labor from within 35 miles of the project site).

  4. Culturally Inspired and Vibrant Places for People: The project’s architecture celebrates the

    cultural legacies and/or new design directions of the historical immigrant communities of east San Jose, and seizes opportunities to enhance the human experience of the site and neighborhood. This policy is intended to ensure that the ARUV is a welcoming and walkable environment for all - existing and new residents - with at least five acres of open spaces for public gatherings, recreation and relaxation.

  5. Healthy, Sustainable Development: ARUVA defines healthy and sustainable development as follows:

    1. Prior to construction, written verification that onsite toxins have been identified, cleaned up and certified as complete by local governing agencies.

    2. The project incorporates measurable green building features beyond what is government-required by achieving the LEED Gold standard (or its equivalent).

  6. Community Space - Ensure that at least 15% of all new retail space across the entire ARUV area be dedicated and affordable for nonprofit organizations and community service organizations. In these spaces we prioritize organizations that focus on community safety, preserving and celebrating our cultural gifts and providing services to seniors;

  7. Traffic & Parking - Implement traffic mitigation measures to ensure that traffic flows through the ARUV area never increase more than 10% through the conclusion of the construction phase of the ARUV Plan. Additionally, ensure that the development of new housing and businesses do NOT result in additional parking congestion in the neighborhoods bordering the ARUV area;

With these goals and measures of success in place, we believe the Alum Rock Urban Village will be widely regarded as an example of the best type of equitable, high- density, urban infill development. With this example leading the way, we believe urban villages guided by the ARUV example will catalyze similar development across the City of San José and beyond.

Development guided by such a vision as we’ve presented is an endeavor that we hope all fighters for justice will be called to. We invite you to join us.

Respectfully,

Alum Rock Urban Village Advocates (ARUVA)

http://www.ARUVA.org

aruva.sj@gmail.com

(Revision 8/15/2020)