The Pierce | City of San José
Initial Study/Addendum

Good mixed-use development does more than combine uses, it integrates compatible uses and amenities in a way that improves walkability and reduces the need for people to drive, all without sacrificing the functionality of each land use in its own right.

“The Pierce” mixed-use project, proposed by Sares-Regis Group and approved for construction in Downtown San José, includes 232 residential apartments in five stories on top of two stories of structured parking shielded from view by commercial retail space. Tying the residential and commercial uses together are various amenities, including a bicycle shop, bicycle parking, a WiFi café, a video conferencing business center, a car sharing program, and a fitness center with showers and changing rooms.

David J. Powers & Associates Principal Will Burns completed a streamlined environmental review process for this project. Using the Environmental Impact Report prepared for the Downtown Strategy 2000, DJP&A wrote an Addendum to that EIR to confirm that The Pierce fit within the previously-identified scope and anticipated environmental impacts of the San José Downtown Strategy 2000.

The environmental review for this project was not without its challenges, however.  Due to the adjacent Market-Almaden Conservation Area, there was potential for the project to cause significant impacts to contributing historic structures in the Victorian and Craftsman-style single-family neighborhood. DJP&A staff ensured that adequate mitigation measures were incorporated into the construction of the building to avoid significant impacts to cultural resources.