North San Jose is riddled with big empty plots lying in wait, dreaming big of innovative companies and walkable neighborhoods. Yet, despite a statewide housing crisis and (pre-COVID-19) the longest economic boom in half a century, these plots have seen little action in the last four years.

The 2005 plan laid out a great vision for North San Jose: vibrant, mixed-use neighborhoods for families of all incomes and workplaces that provide a strong economic engine for the city with both white- and blue-collar jobs.

Today, old-style tech campuses with single-story buildings surrounded by seas of parking still dominate the area. VTA’s light rail remains underutilized, and retail and entertainment venues, where they exist at all, are so spread out they become unnoticeable and often accessible only by car. North San Jose is key to meeting the city’s need for affordable housing. Yet, no new affordable housing has been built in the area in several years. This is unacceptable.

The biggest hurdles to unlock more growth — both housing and commercial: a stubborn unwillingness to change the city’s 15-year old plan for North San Jose and missing leadership to make the most of the opportunities to create a more vibrant community in North San Jose.

Three new schools are being built on the old Agnews campus to house students from kindergarten through high school. The city should use this opportunity to build a library or a community center nearby. But current city leadership seems to have no voice nor vision for how to further support the thousands of families that will attend the school starting summer next year.

The vision for North San Jose was to build “transit villages” centered around the light rail stations. And yes, many NSJ residents commute to work using light rail, but once they get home, they still need cars for shopping and entertainment. This creates more dormitories than communities. The general plan should be reviewed to allow for more mixed-use properties. An apartment building with two floors of retail or office space can provide more jobs than a self-storage facility. Zoning that allows the latter but not the former sends the wrong signal. True mixed-use developments will help all of us drive less and mitigate the effects of climate change.

The transportation plan needs to be revised to prioritize public transit as well as people walking and biking. Currently, taxpayer money and developer fees continue to go toward building wider roads and bigger intersections, violating the city’s climate strategy and encouraging people to drive more and clog our roads.

We need to do a better job of place making. The city should work with Valley Water and adjacent properties to make the northern section of the Coyote Creek Trail not just a connection but a destination. North San Jose has the open space to host pop-up shops, cultural events and temporary entertainment venues.

Too often coordination with important stakeholders has been piecemeal, disorganized and ineffective. San Jose needs to work in close partnership with existing neighborhoods, the business community, school districts, developers, artists, VTA and neighboring cities to build a regional transportation, housing, jobs and shopping network.

We are excited about the possibility of a well thought out development plan. North San Jose is ready for the limelight, but when will we flip the switch?

David Cohen is a Berryessa Union School District board member and a candidate for the District 4 seat on the San Jose City Council. Robin Roemer is a member of the VTA Citizens Advisory Committee and a North San Jose resident. Jim Canova represents North San Jose on the Santa Clara Unified School Board and is a former candidate for Assembly District 25.