A century-old Saratoga vineyard could transform into hundreds of homes, creating mixed feelings in the community.
San Jose-based City Connect Real Estate Development is proposing a 231-home development on 11.6 acres of vineyard land at 14001 Chester Ave. The project includes 24 single-family homes, 85 townhomes, 84 homes with tandem garages and 38 attached accessory dwelling units, a little more than a half-mile from West Valley College. Approximately 47 homes will be affordable and the project will have 461 parking spaces. All the homes are for sale, with 169 designed to reach up to three stories.
City officials are still reviewing the project’s environmental impact report before the development heads to City Council for approval. City Connect Real Estate Development filed the project using builder’s remedy — a state law that allows developers to bypass local zoning when a city is late getting a state-certified housing plan, giving cities less power to deny development…