SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KRON) — A San Francisco-based housing developer has filed a lawsuit against the City of Santa Clara for allegedly rejecting a housing project.
Housing developer Republic Metropolitan (ReMet) filed a claim against the City on Nov. 12 for “its bad faith and malfeasance in canceling a planner mixed-use transit-oriented development” on a lot located between Santa Clara University and the Santa Clara CalTrain Station.
ReMet says the project would have provided much needed affordable workforce and student housing to hundreds of local Santa Clara residents.
The claim alleges that the cancellation of the proposed project was carried out “in a secret closed session of the City Council, away from public view, in violation of California’s open meetings law.”
“The City’s jettisoning of this project was senseless and wrong—and bad for Santa Clara’s residents,” said Joseph Cotchett, one of the attorneys representing Republic Metropolitan.
“The time has come to put a stop to local politics standing in the way of building affordable housing California so desperately needs.”
The proposed project would have spanned two connected parcels of land, one owned by the City and one by the Valley Transit Authority (VTA).
Over the course of nearly four years and millions of dollars invested, ReMet worked hand-in-hand with the City and VTA to design site-specific housing with hundreds of workforce and affordable units for both the public and students at Santa Clara University.
ReMet alleges that “the City arbitrarily blocked the workforce and affordable housing project in violation of their signed agreement and several state laws.”
Per law, the City will have 45 days to respond.
The City of Santa Clara tells KRON4 News that it has begun to review the pending claim and cannot provide a comment at this time.