On Thursday November 8th, the City Planning Commission approved updated plans for the Bond Companies’ Blossom Plaza mixed-use TOD development to be located at College Street and Broadway in Chinatown.

The approval will allow demolition work to occur on the site prior to building permits being issued, though vehicles were still parked in the surface lot this morning (Veterans Day).

The long-standing Little Joe’s Restaurant, which closed in 1998, will be torn down for the massive infill project. This marks the end of one of the last remaining structures from the Italian-American community that once called the area home. A significant remodel in the 1970s called into question the historic value of the building, which was constructed in the late-19th Century as a three-level grocery store.

Project Details

The number of residential condominiums planned has increased from 169, as of the last update, to 262 total with 10% reserved for moderate-income buyers (families earning not more than 120% area median income) and another 10% as workforce housing (not more than 150% area median income).

A 17,743 square foot “cultural plaza,” to be permanently dedicated to the City as recreational/open space, will allow for the Moon Festival, Chinatown Food Festival and farmers’ markets to have a new committed home. The Department of Recreation and Parks will oversee event scheduling.

Parking requirement have been cut-back due to the project’s proximity to mass transit options and neighborhood amenities. City code would normally require 590 residential parking spaces plus additional commercial spaces; however, as part of the Planning Department’s new focus on encouraging pedestrian-oriented developments, only 197 residential and 175 commercial parking spaces are planned. Approximately 20 bicycle rack spaces will also be included.

Excerpt from the staff report (emphasis mine):

This project may mark a turning point in the way the city reviews parking requirements in areas well served by transit options. Buyers of the condominiums should be aware of the parking allotment and the parking situation in the surrounding neighborhood and those who require more parking would more than likely not choose to live at this location.

In addition, Planning staff has worked with the developer and architect to ensure designs meet, at minimum, LEED Gold specifications. This coupled with the parking reduction leads me to believe that we are seeing a paradigm shift in the way the Planning Department reviews and directs new developments.

Latest project rendering available, from bondcompanies.com

-Additional photos of the Blossom Plaza site
-notice of public hearing / chinatown blossom plaza