A newly formed advisory group will soon create a plan to distribute approximately $155 million in funding from Google to communities at risk of being displaced by the tech giant’s new 80 acre development in San Jose.
The committee appointed by the City Council is called the Opportunity Pathways Fund Commission, and is intended to put the decision making into the hands of local leaders and residents. Their task is to determine the best way to disperse funds to residents at risk of being priced out of San Jose. The funds will also go towards education and entrepreneurship opportunities.
Five committee member roles will be filled by San Jose residents who have lived experiences with displacement, under employment or homelessness and eight spots filled by residents with housing, mental health, health care or other community service experience. The committee will also include non-voting members – three city representatives, a Google representative and potentially a few from other major funders of the project.
The city is expecting to fill the advisory committee positions by the end of this year. To learn more about the project and engagement process, click here.
Google agreed to hand over the $155 million as part of the city’s approval of their Downtown West project in 2021, which will cover 80 acres near Diridon Station. It is also expected to feature 7.3 million square feet of office space, 4,000 residences and 15 acres of parks and a large community center.
Opponents of the project warned the massive development would increase the cost of living and create displacement in San Jose.
Separate from the $155 million, Google has already granted $4.5 million to the city for education, job training and scholarships.