The San Jose shelter opening May 17 has governments quarreling, neighbors nervous and homeless residents stuck in the middle.

The Climate Smart-aligned proposal expands on a 2019 policy that banned natural gas in new residential construction.

Since the pandemic mandated working from home as much as possible, code enforcement has responded to only urgent service requests.

The city wants to create a new land use designation for mobile home parks and apply it to two of them: Westwinds and Mountain Springs.

Homeowners who plan on renting out their backyard cottage may also qualify for a financial hardship exemption.

The loan initiative is being championed by Mayor Sam Liccardo and council members Magdalena Carrasco, Sylvia Arenas and Pam Foley.

To help spur more backyard cottage construction, the city has given its seal of pre-approval to one vendor’s 495-square-foot dwelling design.

The City Council on Tuesday will decide whether to amend local land-use regulations to allow for these adult dorms in downtown. 

A new study suggests that rising construction costs may hinder housing development in San Jose, which already faces an affordability crisis.