Just steps away from Santa Clara’s bustling Santana Row and Valley Fair shopping centers lies the Agrihood Sustainable Community, a housing development originally praised for offering dignified, eco-friendly living for low-income and formerly homeless seniors. Promised as a place of healing and nourishment, the complex boasts a 1.5-acre urban farm meant to foster community through shared gardening. But nearly two years since its much-celebrated opening at 76 N. Winchester Boulevard, the dream has soured. The urban garden remains unused, residents have reported serious health issues, and many now feel trapped in unsafe, degrading conditions.
The reality behind Agrihood’s walls tells a far different story than what was originally advertised. Older adult residents report being unable to access the community garden at all. The lack of transparency and broken promises are just the beginning. In October of last year, an e-bike battery explosion on the third floor sparked a fire that left lasting damage. While no fatalities were reported, several residents say the incident marked the start of a steady decline in health and safety at the facility. Since then, multiple seniors have experienced severe respiratory distress, hospitalizations, and in some cases, permanent damage. One resident, who asked to go by the name Sammy, described a frightening ordeal following the fire, saying she was repeatedly hospitalized for asthma-related complications and even lost her service dog to respiratory failure. She now depends on an oxygen tank to breathe.
Other residents echo Sammy’s concerns. Some have woken up coughing violently, experienced eye irritation, or noted swelling of glands—symptoms they never experienced before moving in. One resident said she was thankful for a roof after years of homelessness, but now worries that staying in Agrihood might be more harmful than life on the streets. The sense of betrayal is palpable among the community, especially given that this project was hailed as a model for sustainable and inclusive senior housing.
In response to the ongoing complaints, Breathe California was contacted by residents to conduct air quality tests. However, several tenants claimed that before inspections took place, management had maintenance workers remove air filters throughout the building. One resident showed a photo of a completely blackened air filter to support these claims. The air quality in Sammy’s unit was deemed fair—just one level above poor—yet her health continues to deteriorate. Eventually, after repeated requests and intervention by Santa Clara code enforcement, her air duct system was replaced in May. Other tenants report not receiving the same attention. While the property manager insists all air filters have been changed and that no air quality issues were officially documented, residents maintain that management has not been transparent and that issues persist.
Residents also described a toxic relationship with the property management firm, John Stewart Company. There have been complaints of harassment, with one resident receiving a formal warning after attempting to film rat-infested garbage bins—a supposed violation of house rules. Despite claims by the property manager that pest control has been regularly scheduled, tenants say the efforts are insufficient. Some even found larvae in their food and gnats crawling through their living areas. Sammy claims pest control efforts in her unit were often delayed or missed entirely because the staff alleged she wasn't prepared for treatment, which she disputes.
Further complicating matters, there have been serious concerns raised around disability accommodations. Multiple tenants have stated that their requests for disability-friendly room modifications have gone ignored. In another case, elevator outages at affiliated senior housing complexes left disabled residents stranded for over a week, highlighting a broader pattern of mismanagement by the same property firm.
Santa Clara city officials said they have been responsive to complaints, conducting nine separate code enforcement reviews on issues ranging from fire damage to hoarding and ADA violations. Still, residents argue that the city’s interventions have not resulted in meaningful improvements. While compliance checks were conducted and discussions held with management, the pace of repairs and preventative measures remains sluggish.
Agrihood was developed by The Core Companies in collaboration with agricultural landscaping firm Farmscapes and funded through various public sources, including $23.5 million from Measure A—an affordable housing bond approved by Santa Clara County voters in 2016. The city of Santa Clara contributed another $15.7 million, while the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee provided a $50 million tax-exempt bond grant. Given the scale of public funding, residents and advocates argue that the facility should be held to a much higher standard.
Though the idea behind Agrihood was a noble one—providing not just shelter but a nurturing, self-sustaining community for vulnerable seniors—the reality has fallen well short. With unresolved fire damage, persistent respiratory issues, pest infestations, and unfulfilled promises of urban gardening, many tenants now find themselves not in a sanctuary, but in a place they fear is making them sicker. While management and city officials cite ongoing repairs and compliance efforts, residents say the actions so far have been superficial and slow. For now, Agrihood’s mission of health, dignity, and sustainability remains just out of reach for many of its most vulnerable occupants.
