SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Urban Catalyst, in partnership with a trust affiliated with the late local architect Thang Do, has completed the disposition of an approved multifamily development site in San Jose. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) acquired the asset for $23.4 million. The deal enables the buyer and a group of local government and transit agencies to redevelop the Diridon Station area.
The transaction includes 1.2 acres spanning two adjacent parcels at 32 and 60 Stockton Ave., situated between a Whole Foods Market and SAP Center. Urban Catalyst acquired the site in two separate transactions for $15.1 million in 2021 and last year.
Working with Do and his firm, Aedis Architects, Urban Catalyst received entitlements for a 20-story, 472-unit development project called Apollo. The project involved demolishing existing structures on the Stockton Avenue and replacing them with apartments ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. The planned development was unilaterally approved last year by the city.
After Apollo received planning approval in November 2022, it was discovered that the site is within an area anticipated for future rail infrastructure, as a designated property among the right-of-way parcels needed for the first phase of California’s bullet train. VTA and the city need the site for a planned widening of train tracks from the station to just north of West Santa Clara Street.
The buyers plan to rebuild and expand Diridon Station in anticipation of electrified Caltrain, BART and high-speed rail coming to San Jose.