Shovels are finally in the ground for Lupina, a six-story affordable housing project that local officials are pitching as a crucial lifeline for the Guadalupe-Washington neighborhood of San José.
Santa Clara County leaders and project partners gathered this week to celebrate the start of construction on the building, which is set to bring 99 deeply affordable apartments and ground-floor community space to a site steps from the Virginia VTA light-rail station. The move comes after more than a year of financing work and planning by lead developer Resources for Community Development.
In a post on X, the County of Santa Clara said it has put $32.5 million into Lupina and joined partner organizations at the groundbreaking in San José. The county framed the investment as part of a broader push to expand deeply affordable and supportive housing options across the region, with Lupina highlighted as one of the latest flagships.
The County and partners held an event this week to mark the groundbreaking for Lupina, a project that will bring 99 units of deeply affordable housing to San José. The County contributed $32.5 million to the project. pic.twitter.com/o3Xa5HuakN
— County of Santa Clara (@SCCgov) April 2, 2026
Project details and location
According to Resources for Community Development, Lupina will rise at 797 South Almaden Avenue and deliver roughly 100,000 square feet of mixed-use space. That includes 99 deeply affordable apartments, about 2,300 square feet of community-serving commercial space, and roughly 3,300 square feet of open space along South Almaden Avenue.
The developer notes that 25 apartments will be set aside for people and families transitioning out of homelessness, with a mix of studios through three-bedroom units. On-site supportive services are planned as part of the design, so residents can access help without leaving the building.
Funding and financing
Reporting from The Real Deal shows the development locked in major construction financing last year. That package included about $53.3 million from JPMorgan Chase and roughly $28.9 million in county construction loans.
The county’s April 2 announcement that it is contributing $32.5 million appears to reflect additional or revised support for Lupina, which has a total development cost in the high tens of millions.
Construction and timeline
Construction activity kicked off in early February, with Nibbi Brothers General Contractors on site and Helix Electric contracted for an electrical scope of roughly $5.8 million, according to Helix Electric. Project partners say building work is expected to run through 2027, with occupancy and services phased in by 2028 as teams finish out building systems and tenant supports.
Why it matters
Design and sustainability features are laid out in materials from the architecture team. The project is planned as an all-electric building, with flood-mitigation strategies and high green rating goals, according to LMS.
Local housing advocates have argued that county support like this is increasingly essential, since rising construction costs, high insurance premiums, and tight financing have made it harder to build affordable developments at all. That tension was a recurring theme in a year-end review by SV@Home, which highlighted the challenge of getting deeply affordable projects across the finish line.
Officials say the next steps for Lupina include locking in tenant services and rolling out a phased leasing process once key construction milestones are hit. Resources for Community Development is set to lead property management and on-site supportive services when the building opens. County leaders are pointing to Lupina as one of several recent efforts to deliver deeply affordable homes near transit and neighborhood amenities, even as the cost of doing so keeps climbing.
