San Jose is gearing up to put real pressure on the owner of a foreclosed downtown parcel that city inspectors say has slid into plain-view blight. The skinny lot at 27 South First Street, once cleared for a 24-story, 374-unit tower, has sat idle since the project fell apart, and neighbors have been complaining about rats, trash and graffiti piling up along the sidewalk. After months of watching the property, city staff say they are now weighing fines and other enforcement moves.
According to The Mercury News, a March 10 inspection found that all blight conditions are visible from the public right-of-way and flagged a broken rear door and accumulating refuse. The outlet reports that San Jose first sent a pre-citation warning to the then-owner in May 2022, then placed the site into its Vacant Building Monitoring Program in August 2022 after graffiti complaints. Inspectors conducted monthly check-ins through October 2025, and the city has issued multiple citations for basic maintenance and safety violations…