The Kelsey Ayer Station Project Initial Study and Senate Bill 35 Ministerial Approval

FCS prepared an Initial Study and supporting technical documentation, including a Historic Resources Assessment, for The Kelsey Ayer Station project, a multi-family residential project in downtown San José. The proposed project includes the demolition of an existing office building and the construction of a new 6-story, 78-foot-high residential structure with 115 units. Approximately 77 percent of units would be affordable and approximately 23 percent would be set aside for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Kelsey Ayer Station (the “Project”) will be a first of its kind fully inclusive mixed ability, mixed income housing community located at 447 North 1st Street (20,458 square feet of land) in downtown San José. The ground floor would house an “inclusion concierge” desk and flexible community gather space open to the public during business hours. The Kelsey Ayer Station project site is within the Envision San José 2040 General Plan. Key issues included a historic evaluation of the existing office building (known as the Bruno Office Building) and an evaluation of indirect impacts to “candidate” historic districts within 100 feet of the project site. Other key issues included community concerns regarding the sizing and massing of the new building, which required the preparation of photo-simulations from five viewpoints.