SAN JOSE — A fight over sites near a BART station east of downtown San Jose might be headed to a jury trial that would pit small business owners against the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority.
The VTA is attempting to seize properties it says are needed to construct the 28th Street/Little Portugal BART Station near the interchange of U.S. Highway 101 and East Santa Clara Street. The site is bounded by North 28th Street, East St. James Street, North 30th Street, and Five Wounds Lane.
A business already ousted from the BART site, Monarch Truck Center, moved in 2024 to a new location at 1015 Timothy Drive in San Jose because it was forced to swiftly decamp from its longtime spot at 195 North 30th St. at the request of VTA officials, according to Monarch Truck Center Chief Executive Officer Nicole Guetersloh.
“We were told we needed to leave so construction could start, but it has been almost two years, and nothing has happened,” Guetersloh told this news organization. “The building is still standing. They haven’t even taken down our signs. The extra time could have made a huge difference for us in terms of finding a new location.”
In 2021, the VTA filed a lawsuit against the owner of the site as well as Monarch and other businesses at the location as part of an eminent domain proceeding to seize control of the property so the BART station could be constructed…