95 S Almaden Ave
95 S Almaden Ave is a 14-story building in Downtown San Jose with 70% of its floor area within daylight reach of a facade. This screen estimates 287 homes and scores it 66 out of 100 for office-to-residential conversion suitability.
CA-18 · Screened 2026-09-12 · Worth a feasibility study
Where 95 S Almaden Ave is
Its block in Downtown San Jose, drawn from San Jose's own building outlines and street centerlines.
- Already housing
- Not screened
- 95 S Almaden Ave
This building does not pencil at default assumptions, even with a modeled RESIDE Act grant.
Every floor carries 8,931 sq ft of windowless core — area that must be gutted, seismically braced and sprinklered but can never be rented as an apartment. Across 13 residential floors that is 116,106 sq ft of cost carrying no revenue.
Modeled conversion metrics for 95 S Almaden Ave, 2026-09-12.
| Suitability scoreWorth a feasibility study | 66 / 100 |
|---|---|
| Storiesfrom 169 ft LiDAR height ÷ 12 ft floor-to-floor | 14 |
| Floor plateper floor, from the city footprint | 29,668 sq ft |
| Daylight efficiencyshare within 35 ft of a facade | 70% |
| Deepest interior pointviability threshold is 80 ft | 60 ft |
| Windowless coreper floor — renovated but never rentable | 8,931 sq ft |
| Estimated homesat 750 sq ft average | 287 |
| Conversion cost$405/sq ft all-in on 385,686 sq ft | $156.2M |
| Gap before grantshortfall against completed value | $34.2M |
| Modeled RESIDE grantat the statutory per-award cap | $10.0M |
| BuiltSan Jose does not publish a construction year with this data | — |
| ZoningDowntown San Jose | DC |
| Opportunity Zonecensus tract 06085500800, 2018 designation | Yes |
The plan: window line, shape and floor rhythm
34 ft of exterior wall for each home the screen estimates — enough for two- and three-bedroom homes across the plan.
The typical floor has 740 ft of exterior wall, and across 13 residential floors the building carries 9,624 ft of it in total, divided among the 287 homes this screen estimates.
Its plate is moderately compact at 0.68: a squarish plan, with enough perimeter for a conventional double-loaded corridor. How window line and plate shape are measured.
At the model’s 750 sq ft average, the plan works out at about 22.1 homes per floor, repeated on every residential floor, since this building's outline does not change as it rises.
Why 95 S Almaden Ave scores 66 out of 100
Daylight efficiency 60, Interior depth 50, Scale 100, Finance 74 — each out of 100, then weighted.
Score components for 95 S Almaden Ave. Points are the subscore times its weight.
| Component | Subscore | Weight | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight efficiency70% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90% | 60 | 45% | 26.9 |
| Interior depthdeepest interior point 60 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft | 50 | 25% | 12.5 |
| Scale287 estimated homes, scored from 0 up to 150 | 100 | 15% | 15.0 |
| Financeremaining gap is 16% of conversion cost, scored from 60% down to 0% | 74 | 15% | 11.1 |
Most of what it earns comes from daylight efficiency, and what holds it back most is interior depth, at 50 out of 100: deepest interior point 60 ft from a facade, scored from 80 ft down to 40 ft.
What the conversion would cost
$405 per square foot all-in across 385,686 sq ft of converted floor, or $156.2M in total — about $544K for each of the 287 homes.
All-in cost per square foot for 95 S Almaden Ave: base cost plus the code work a change of use triggers.
| Base conversion cost | $260/sq ft |
|---|---|
| Seismic retrofit (change of use) | $45/sq ft |
| Plumbing risers to every unit | $40/sq ft |
| Operable windows and glazing | $30/sq ft |
| Additional egress stair | $18/sq ft |
| Fire sprinklers (NFPA 13R) | $12/sq ft |
| All-in | $405/sq ft |
That cost is charged across every converted square foot, including the 116,106 sq ft of windowless core, which has to be gutted, seismically braced and sprinklered like the rest of the building and then earns nothing. Against it the model sets a completed value of $425K a home, which for 287 homes is $122.0M.
What would have to be true
A $34.2M gap before any grant, $24.2M after the modeled one. The smallest single change that would close it: average unit size 17% down.
The shortfall before any grant is $34.2M. Closing it from the value side means each of the 287 homes finishing at $544K rather than the $425K the model assumes — 28% more. Closing it from the cost side means getting all-in cost down from $405 to $316 per square foot.
A modeled RESIDE grant of $10.0M moves that threshold to $509K a home. That is still above the $425K assumed, leaving $24.2M uncovered, which is why the grant does not unlock this one.
Nor do all four levers have to move. For 95 S Almaden Ave, one alone would close the gap at:
Single-assumption flip points for 95 S Almaden Ave, each holding the other three at their defaults.
| Average unit sizethe binding constraint — the least this building would need | 17% downto 625 sq ft |
|---|---|
| Completed value per home | 20% upto $509K |
| Circulation efficiency | 20% upto 96% |
| Conversion cost per square foot | 24% downto $197/sq ft |
All four are sliders in the survey, where 95 S Almaden Ave re-scores against your own numbers.
How it compares in Downtown San Jose
95 S Almaden Ave ranks 41st of the 82 buildings screened here, against a median score of 64.
Its floor plate is better lit than 48% of them, and shallower than 60% of them at its deepest interior point. On size it is the 27th largest by estimated homes. The full survey of all 82 buildings ranks and maps every one of them, and the list by address links each to its own page.
Within the DC zone
35th of 72 zoned DC — the comparison that shares its rules, rents and streets.
72 of the screened buildings are zoned DC. 95 S Almaden Ave ranks 35th of them against a median score of 61. 31 score 70 or more, their median deepest interior point is 68 ft from a facade against this building’s 60 ft, and together they would hold an estimated 23,276 homes. The group’s top scorer is 1 Almaden Blvd, at 100.
Its nearest match in size: 152 N 3rd St
The screened building closest to 95 S Almaden Ave in converted floor area is 152 N 3rd St: 351,056 sq ft over 13 stories, against 385,686 sq ft over 14 here.
95 S Almaden Ave scores 66 to its 86, and with the size held roughly equal most of that shortfall comes from daylight efficiency: 60 out of 100 here, 91 there (85% of the floor area within 35 ft of a facade, scored from 40% up to 90%). On the money they part ways: 152 N 3rd St pencils only with the modeled RESIDE grant, while 95 S Almaden Ave falls short even with the modeled grant. The two stand about 2,700 ft apart.
Would it qualify for a RESIDE Act grant?
The model awards 95 S Almaden Ave $10.0M, on the assumption it qualifies. Whether it does, no published dataset can say.
That figure assumes the building meets the Act’s vacant-and-abandoned test, which turns on code-enforcement and receivership records no city publishes.
This building does sit in census tract 06085500800, a 2018 designated Opportunity Zone, which Section 201 lets HUD favor — one of the few statutory priorities this screen can actually check.
Other buildings screened near 95 S Almaden Ave
The 4 closest the screen also covers, from 360 ft away. They are the colored outlines on the plan at the top of this page.
- 150 Almaden Blvd19 stories · 83% daylit · 228 estimated homes · scores 81/100 (Strong candidate)about 360 ft away
- 99 Almaden Blvd13 stories · 98% daylit · 156 estimated homes · scores 100/100 (Strong candidate)about 370 ft away
- 100 W San Fernando St7 stories · 76% daylit · 151 estimated homes · scores 79/100 (Strong candidate)about 370 ft away
- 111 Almaden Blvd11 stories · 82% daylit · 159 estimated homes · scores 80/100 (Strong candidate)about 470 ft away
A screen, not a feasibility study, from outlines and heights rather than plans: the method and how to correct a figure. If you know this building’s interior, you know what this model cannot see.