Buyers paying $400-700K and up for homes next to Santa Clara County jail [View All]

[Human Torch]

Sales of homes brisk despite jail
COMPLEX NEXT TO ELMWOOD FACILITY WILL HAVE ALMOST 700 DWELLINGS
By Kimra McPherson
Mercury News

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/15379431.htm

When construction is done on the new Terra Serena development in Milpitas, the gated community will boast almost 700 housing units surrounded by parks, swimming pools and tennis courts. It will sit next to another gated community: the Elmwood Correctional Facility, a Santa Clara County jail. Nonetheless, buyers are flocking to the $700,000-plus homes, $500,000-plus townhomes and $400,000-plus condos at Terra Serena -- even though their neighbors down the street aren't exactly the Joneses.

The KB Home development -- which city leaders courted both to bring more housing to Milpitas and to pin the jail into its current quarters -- has attracted droves of prospective buyers. A recent Saturday open house brought in 1,700 of them -- well above the 300 that South Bay KB developments typically see at similar events, KB spokesman Craig LeMessurier said. Almost all of the 40 single-family homes and 40 townhomes offered for sale so far have sold, LeMessurier said. Only 15 condos have been put up for sale, but more than half of them are already claimed.

When the complex is done, 165 single-family homes and 203 townhomes will sit on the property next to the jail. Three buildings with a total of 315 condos are being built on the other side of Abel Street.

Elmwood houses about 2,300 medium- and minimum-security male inmates and about 550 female inmates of all security levels, jail spokesman Mark Cursi said. ``It's not like it's San Quentin,'' townhome owner Joaquin Ramirez said.



Elmwood and its long, winding double-security fence can be seen just across the road from the gated Terra Serena development in Milpitas.