Dai-Thanh Supermarket, the popular Asian grocery store located at 418 South Second Street, was recently bought out by Urban Community, a San Jose-based development company lead by real estate executives Gary Dillabough and Jeff Arrillaga.
The recent acquisition was part of a $17 million deal to revitalize second street with a new row of premium high-rise housing. Dillabough revealed to Mercury News that Urban Community is planning a total of three towers in the area and has already acquired the other two desired locations at 420 South Second Street and 415 South Third Street.
Dai Thanh Supermarket will remain open for the next year while the residential project awaits complete approval from the city, but family owners Long Hua and Thanh Hua don’t intend to sit still and wait. Seizing upon the opportunity presented by this new deal, the Huas have purchased two other San Jose sites where they intend to expand the Dai-Thanh brand.
The first site, the current An-Jan Feed & Pet Supply at 1651 Monterey Road was acquired for $7.9 million, and the second location, a closed Michael’s Arts and Crafts at 2040 Tully Road, was bought for $6.8 million, according to county documents. Thanh Hua intends to open both of these sites as new Dai-Thanh Supermarkets over the course of three years.
The new sites will feature more space, expanded parking, and better foot traffic. According to Thanh, the Michael’s site is expected to be the first one to be renovated. In the meantime, the current Dai-Thanh will remain open for a few years, which comes as a relief to the Huas, who have lived next-door to the market since 1985. While the opportunities provided by this acquisition are great news for the success of Dai-Thanh, it will certainly be bittersweet for the Huas to say goodbye to their first store when the time comes to close.
As for the new housing developments, Urban Community is contemplating the development of of nearly 400 units combined at the three sites. The tower that will be replacing Dai-Thanh is estimated to be 20 stories high and expected to accommodate around 150 units, but all proposals are subject to change as the developers move forward to obtain city approval.
According to Dillabough, these new developments are desperately needed in San Jose to help remedy the region’s housing crisis, and the high-rise towers planned by Urban Community are the most efficient way to make a dent in the crisis.
