Blighted San Jose building lands on city radar for heightened scrutiny
SAN JOSE — A blighted building in downtown San Jose landed on the city’s radar and now faces intensified scrutiny to ensure the property doesn’t become a full-fledged eyesore.
One of several locations downtown that have been afflicted by deteriorating conditions, the building at 96 North Second St. has received a string of complaints from code enforcement since March 2024.
Debris, solid waste, and household items have been present at the property for the last two years, according to a report prepared by San Jose code enforcement inspector Wayne Cirone.
At the corner of North Second Street and East St. John Street, the property is near St. James Park, a large open space at times occupied by unhoused individuals and previously cited as a place used by alleged drug dealers.
Cirone inspected the property on March 26, the day of a municipal hearing regarding the site.
“The property is actively available for lease,” Cirone told the San Jose panel reviewing the property. “However, the state of disrepair on the window, active graffiti, and active trash and debris in front of the property, in tandem with it being unoccupied, are violations of the blight code.”
As a result, San Jose officials placed the building into the city’s neglected vacant or abandoned building monitoring program – a level of scrutiny that could result in increased fines and penalties if problems persist.
Cupertino resident Steven Bowers, the principal owner, pushed back against San Jose’s decision to place the building into the monitoring program.
“Our building is occupied almost every week, at least one to three days,” Bowers stated in a January letter to code enforcement officials. “My business, Chapiter Construction Services, operates out of this building.”
The entry area is fenced off, although on multiple occasions in recent weeks, the building was observed to be empty by this news organization.
“Our building is fully furnished,” Bowers stated in the letter. “Our building has electricity, water, security alarm, and fire alarm services. The building front exterior is brightly lighted at night. The building is completely locked and secure.”
Bowers also suggested that the cit doesn’t do enough to keep downtown free of blight and crime.
“The property owner alleges the city is not doing its part and fails to enforce unhoused situations that contribute to an untenable situation such as unsanitary conditions and blight downtown,” stated the minutes of the March 26 city meeting.
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 1:51 PM.