Willow Glen Resident
News
Residents ask Morrison Park developer to include more parking in the project
By Mary Gottschalk
Plans for the Morrison Park Homes LLC project got a mostly positive reception from the 20 people attending the community meeting on April 23.
The one negative was parking.
The proposed development is for 250 single-family attached residences in three- and four-story buildings on 4.4 acres bounded by Stockton and Morrison avenues and Julian and Cinnabar streets.
The units, which range from one to four bedrooms, add up to a total of 490 bedrooms, and current plans are for 396 parking spaces.
Erik Schoennauer, representing the San Mateo-based developer, told the group there are an additional 48 on-street parking spaces.
Nearby residents say those spaces are already in use on a consistent basis and major events at HP Pavilion flood the area with additional cars. Residents say they often find their driveways blocked by Pavilion patrons.
The development's location near Diridon Train Station's mass transit entitles it to a 10 percent reduction on parking from city requirements, Schoennauer said. However, they are asking for a 14 percent reduction.
Those attending the meeting said they want Morrison Park to stick to the 10 percent figure and add more parking.
The matter will likely be decided at the upcoming rezoning meeting for the development scheduled for the May 7 San Jose Planning Commission meeting.
If the plans go through, as expected, the current mix of auto shops and other businesses along Stockton will be replaced with buildings ranging from 40 to 65 feet tall. Some are atop podium garages, which are partially below ground.
The tallest buildings will face Stockton, while the lowest ones, which are three-story townhomes above street-level garages, will face Morrison.
Current plans for the development are to make it for sale at market unit prices, but Schoennauer said depending on the economy, it could become rental.
None of the units are currently planned for low-income or below- market rates, and the developer is receiving no monies from San Jose, he said.
Current plans also call for the relocation of the 1920s-era gas station on the corner of Stockton and Cinnabar to be restored, for possible use as the mail center for the complex.
The project goes before the San Jose Planning Commission at 6:30 p.m. on May 7 in the council chambers of city hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. It is expected to go before City Council on May 20.
Comments on the development can be sent to the planning project manager Licinia McMorrow at licinia.mcmorrow@sanjoseca.gov or by calling her at 408.535.7814. Developer representative Erik Schoennauer can be reached at 408.947.7774.
