On January 23, state and local leaders gathered at Tamien Station to cut the ribbon on Tamien Station Apartments, a six-story complex that brings 135 new affordable homes right next to the Tamien Caltrain and VTA light-rail platforms. The project replaces a VTA surface parking lot and now offers on-site daycare, a rooftop playground, and a food pantry intended to help residents stabilize.
How State Funding Put 135 Homes Next to Transit
The state put up $31.7 million to get the building over the finish line, with $28.7 million from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program and another $3 million from the Infill Infrastructure Grant program, according to California HCD. Those cap-and-invest dollars are intended to reduce vehicle miles traveled and to fund transit-adjacent projects as part of California Climate Investments.
“Tamien Station Apartments demonstrates exactly what the Strategic Growth Council is working to achieve in California — thriving neighborhoods with walkable, affordable communities near public transit,” SGC Executive Director Erin Curtis said in a statement, Strategic Growth Council wrote. HCD Director Gustavo Velasquez added that the project reflects state efforts to reduce homelessness and expand housing options.
Built on VTA Land, First New VTA TOD in More Than 20 Years
The Core Companies developed the six-story property on a 1.6-acre site owned by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, which leased the land to Urban Co Tamien LLC, VTA reported. The agency described the opening as its first transit-oriented housing project in more than two decades.
Who the Homes Serve and What They Offer
The building includes a mix of 20 studios, 44 one-bedrooms, 36 two-bedrooms, and 34 three-bedrooms, with 67 of the 135 homes reserved for rapid rehousing, according to the Santa Clara County Office of Supportive Housing. On-site services include a day care center, food pantry, laundry, and community rooms, and the state notes that residents will be able to use the adjacent transit service to reach jobs and other services, California HCD said.
For residents like Anna Herrera, who moved in late December, the new apartment brought immediate relief. “I know I’m safe,” Herrera told the County’s news office, calling the move a step away from homelessness.
Phase One and the Bigger Picture
Tamien Station Apartments is the first phase of a larger master plan that officials say will eventually deliver about 555 total homes on the site, with a mix of affordable and market-rate units, Strategic Growth Council noted. Local leaders and developers say the effort is part of a broader push to turn underused transit parking lots into housing while tying new homes to transit access and support services for residents.
Backers say the project offers a concrete example of what they have been arguing for: taking underused transit parking and turning it into homes. Officials point to the mix of rapid rehousing units and family-size apartments as evidence that transit-adjacent development can address both homelessness and longer-term housing needs.
