SAN JOSE — The final destination for a fire-scorched downtown San Jose property that is a nuisance and eyesore is a sale now that the blighted site has been shoved into receivership, a city official says.
On Sept. 13, a Santa Clara County Superior Court judge appointed a receiver to supervise and control the cleanup and security of an empty lot in downtown San Jose at 100 North Fourth Street.
San Jose city officials sought the court-ordered receivership after multiple fires destroyed two homes and scorched the blighted property.
The downtown lots have become a notorious nuisance for neighbors of the properties at the corner of North Fourth Street and East St. John Street.
Two fires, a fatal drive-by shooting, homeless encampments, piles of burnt materials, stacks of debris and a dangerous dog are among the hazards at the site, court records show. The addresses are 100, 120, 146 and 152 North Fourth and 117 North Fifth Street.
“Typically, the receiver ultimately would be putting the property on the market for sale,” said San Jose City Attorney Nora Frimann.
But before a sale could happen, plenty of milestones will have to be cleared, according to the city attorney.
“The immediate priority is to re-secure the property and clean up the waste,” Frimman said in email comments she sent to this news organization.
Judge Shella Deen approved San Jose’s request to appoint Gerard F. Keena II of the Bay Area Receivership Group to oversee the fate of the parcels.
The Santa Clara County judge also blocked the owners of the blighted properties from interfering with the operations and efforts of the receiver by issuing a temporary restraining order and an injunction.
The latest legal battle comes as San Jose is under fire for its years-long failures to address blight woes in multiple downtown sites and elsewhere.
The court order enabled the receiver to eventually auction off the properties through a foreclosure process if the judge agreed to such a proposal.
Brent Lee, a Saratoga resident, controls an LLC that owns the blighted lots. Several years ago, Lee proposed the development of a student housing tower on the site. Construction never began. The affiliate operates as RPRO152N3.
The North Fourth Street fires, which broke out in March 2024 and August 2024, have created serious hazards for people living next door and near the fire-torched sites, according to Jay Huang, the operating manager of Sunding Brothers LLC, which owns a property next to the blighted vacant lots.
The March fire leveled two abandoned Victorian-era homes on the blighted lot. The August fire ignited the stacks of wood and debris left behind from the earlier blaze.
The Aug. 20 blaze forced some people to flee as the flames menaced their homes, witnesses told this news organization.
In attempts made in prior months, Lee, the primary property owner, couldn’t be reached at his listed address. Court records show that a process server couldn’t serve documents to Lee or the LLC he controls on at least one occasion.
The judge’s order enables the receiver to file a deed of trust that would be the first lien on the property. This lien would take precedence over all other liens on the site, other than tax liens.
Once the property is secured and cleaned up, the city and the receiver will be able to take the steps to ensure the site finds a responsible new owner.
“The receiver will then evaluate the project and make a recommendation to the court on the best way to maximize the value of the property and ensure the nuisance is permanently abated,” Frimman said in the email to this news organization.