About the Project

On August 13, 2024, the City Council approved a private development project and associated Environmental Impact Report that allows 1,472 residential units (154 townhomes and 1,318 apartment units in four multi-family buildings), ground-floor retail space, a domestic water well, and a public park to be constructed on a 22-acre site located on the northeasterly corner of Montague Expressway and Seely Avenue (0 Seely Avenue; APNs: 097-15-033, 097-15-034, and 097-66-004) in North San José in Council District 4. The Development will be constructed in several phases over time.

On June 5, 2024, the Parks and Recreation Commission recommended naming the park site “Eiichi Edward Sakauye Park” and asked for historical design elements to be included in the park.

The Park Site

A 2.5-acre Turnkey Park will be built on the northeast side of Seely Avenue, approximately 500 feet northwest of Montague Expressway. Turnkey Parks are designed and constructed by developers then dedicated to the City of San Jose. This park would include active recreational amenities for the North San José neighborhood that are not offered in Iris Chang Park or River Oaks Park.



The Montague and Seely Master Plan Project, pictured below, will introduce a large turf lawn area, children play areas with elements appropriate for kids 2-5 years of age and 5-12 years of age, a dog park with separate areas for large dogs and small dogs, a public plaza, pollinator gardens, sports courts, pedestrian and bike paths, outdoor fitness area, a historic interpretative plaza, and thematic design/interpretive elements that reflect the history of the site, highlight Eiichi Edward Sakauye as well as the Japanese farming history of the property.

Staff will coordinate with the Japanese American Museum, the Sakauye and Seely families, and History San José to develop the content for the design elements and to properly tell the story of the site and highlight Mr. Sakauye.

Sakauye House

The existing “Sakauye House” structure on the project site is being considered to be relocated to History Park in San José to provide a more controlled setting where conservation efforts can be applied consistently, and the public can engage with its history in context with the other Migrant Worker Houses in a more accessible, integrated and educational setting.

During a City Council (August 13, 2024) meeting, the City Council directed staff to continue discussions regarding design of the park to potentially preserve part of or all the “Sakauye House” on the existing site or relocating the structure to History Park in San José. It was later determined that History Park is the preferred location to safeguard the structure and to avoid potential neglect due to the costs associated with maintaining a historic building in a public park (discussed again in the Analysis section below). The park design will include interpretive elements to communicate and reference the site history.

History San José pledged a $200,000 contribution and is working with the developer, the Preservation Action Council of San José, and the community to raise additional funds to support the relocation and rehabilitation of the Sakauye House to History Park. Outside efforts are being made to privately raise additional funds to support this effort independently of this agreement.

Park Naming 

On April 29, 2025, the City Council officially adopted the name, “Eiichi Edward Sakauye Park” to honor Eiichi Edward Sakauye, a historically and culturally significant individual who made substantial contributions to San José. The name, “Eiichi Edward Sakauye Park,” represents the first park site in San José to be named after a Japanese American. Eiichi Edward Sakauye was an innovative farmer and well-known Japanese American activist in San José. His photographic documentation of life in an internment camp helped raise awareness of the experiences of Japanese Americans in relocation camps. He also helped to establish the Japanese American Museum of San José and was actively involved in various local organizations, including the Japanese American Citizen League, the California Pioneers, the Milpitas Historical Museum, and the Santa Clara County Pear Association. 

Other suggested park names included: Eiichi Edward Sakauye Park, Sakauye Park, Eiichi Park, Sakauye & Seely Park. For more information on the historical context of the site and name suggestions, view the story map below or open the story map in a new window.  Resources:

• DRAFT Conceptual Master Plan
• Fees That Support Parkland Development - Advocate and Stakeholder Input meeting on October 28, 2024.

Public Engagement

An online community meeting and two online public surveys were conducted to engage the community in the master planning and park naming.

Survey	Result
Rank Choice Voting	Document
Name Suggestion	Document

Meeting	Date & Time	Location
Community Meeting #1 Community Meeting #1 Presentation	Thurs., January 19, 2023 6:30 p.m.	Zoom
Parks and Recreation Commission	Wed., June 5, 2024 5:30 p.m.	Zoom
City Council - Approval of the Development Project and Environmental Impact Report	Tues., August 13, 2024 1:30 p.m.	Zoom / City Hall
City Council	Tues., April 29, 2025 1:30 p.m.	Zoom / City Hall