Bien Doan
Running for:
Council District 7
Campaign Website:
1) The Preservation Action Council of San Jose (PAC*SJ) was formed in 1990 with concern for the abandonment of Willis Polk's First Church of Christ, Scientist on St. James Square. The continued abandonment has vexed residents and City officials for years. As Councilmember, what actions would you take to hold the current owner accountable for the neglect and re-establish its presence in the St. James Square Historic District? What actions would you take to facilitate its urgently-needed rehabilitation? Do you have a vision for the adaptive reuse of the structure?
Are there other properties on PAC*SJ’s Endangered 8 list, or any other culturally important sites, that you would encourage San Jose to collaborate on revitalization?
Historic preservation protects the identity, culture, and architectural character of San José. The continued neglect of the Beach & Bassler-Haynes Buildings and the Greyhound Bus Depot is unacceptable. I support strong code enforcement and accountability for negligent property owners, but also believe the City should actively help facilitate restoration and adaptive reuse opportunities for these important landmarks. The Greyhound Depot, for example, has tremendous potential for community-serving reuse such as a food hall, market, or cultural space. Preserving and restoring these sites strengthens neighborhoods, supports economic activity, and ensures San José’s history is not lost to neglect or short-sighted redevelopment.
2) In the past five years alone, at least ten vacant historic buildings in San José have been lost to fire. Often, these properties are left vacant after tenants are displaced in anticipation of future development that may never materialize. Would you support entitlement conditions that would hold property owners accountable? If so, what would those look like?
As a former San José Fire Captain, I understand the serious danger vacant and neglected buildings pose not only to themselves, but to surrounding residents, businesses, and first responders. I support reasonable entitlement conditions that hold property owners accountable for maintaining and securing vacant historic properties, including fire prevention measures, inspections, and clear rehabilitation timelines. At the same time, California’s regulatory environment often makes adaptive reuse and redevelopment too costly and time consuming. We need to streamline approvals and reduce unnecessary barriers so vacant buildings can be restored and returned to productive use, creating jobs, housing, and economic activity instead of sitting empty for years.
3) California Senate Bill SB 79 was recently signed into law by Governor Newsom, allowing by-right multistory new construction within a half-mile of qualifying transit stops, including 56 in San Jose. Many of these new TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) zones cover areas with high concentrations of historic buildings and pedestrian-scaled commercial corridors. SB 79 specifically allowed cities to exempt locally-designated historic resources from upzoning through the creation of local alternative plans, yet San Jose City Council recently voted not to do so. What do you think the role of the Council should be in exercising local control of planning decisions impacting historic resources?
I believe the City Council should fight to maintain as much local control over planning decisions as possible, especially when it comes to protecting historic resources and neighborhood character. Sacramento’s one size fits all approach often fails to account for the unique history, architecture, and cultural identity of cities like San José. While we absolutely need more housing and transit-oriented development, that should not come at the unnecessary expense of irreplaceable historic buildings and pedestrian-scaled commercial corridors that define our community. Local governments are in the best position to balance growth, preservation, economic development, and neighborhood needs, and we should use every tool available to protect important historic resources while still planning responsibly for the future.
4) How would you motivate and incentivize the development community to view adaptive reuse of historic structures not as an obstacle, but as a design opportunity? What partnerships do you envision for stewardship of sites and buildings?
We need to make adaptive reuse financially feasible, predictable, and faster to deliver. Historic buildings should be viewed as opportunities to create unique housing, restaurants, offices, cultural venues, and community spaces that bring character and economic activity to our neighborhoods. The City can help by streamlining approvals, reducing unnecessary regulatory barriers, assisting with historic tax credit navigation, and creating clearer adaptive reuse pathways. I also believe partnerships between property owners, preservation groups, neighborhood organizations, cultural institutions, and the business community are essential to ensuring these sites are restored, activated, and sustainably maintained for future generations.
5) How do you think that preserving historic buildings and districts might contribute to the economic vitality of San Jose by enhancing its distinctive qualities of place, drawing visitors and local residents alike?
Historic preservation strengthens economic vitality by creating unique places people want to visit, live, work, and invest in. Preserved historic districts, storefronts, theaters, and cultural landmarks give San José character and identity that cannot be replicated by generic development. These spaces help support small businesses, restaurants, tourism, arts, and community events while creating more walkable and vibrant neighborhoods. A city that preserves its history also tells a stronger story about who we are, which helps attract residents, visitors, employers, and investment while maintaining a sense of community and place.