Massive BART expansion in South Bay to displace longtime San Jose natural stone supplier
SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- Silicon Valley Granite in San Jose has more than 20 years worth of natural stone products that must be moved by Wednesday.
Sridhar Kollareddy is the owner. He estimates he has 7,000 of different stone slabs. The average weight of each is 1,000 pounds.
"I have granite, marble, quartz, quartzite," Kollareddy listed off.
His 3-acre property is located right next to Highway 101 between Julian and Santa Clara Streets.
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Plans are underway to build a BART station here.
In 2020, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority informed Kollareddy they would be using eminent domain to take his land.
"The moment that they pay me, I'll move out," Kollareddy said.
But there's a dispute.
For years, the VTA and Kollareddy have negotiated on a move out date.
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VTA told ABC7:
"The business owner was given two separate deadlines, beginning almost two years in advance, and chose not to leave the property or file for relocation reimbursement."
Court records show Kollareddy can still be paid for losing his property.
In approving his eviction, the court wrote that Kollareddy agreed to let VTA take over the land "before resolution of the issue of just compensation"... and that a trial in October could settle the issue.
"So they can wait until then. Let the trial decide what happens to the balance," Kollareddy said.
On Tuesday, he was trying to move slabs and products he had already sold.
Any inventory left on the property after April 30 is considered "abandoned."
"A couple of million," Kollareddy said.
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That's how much product Kollareddy estimates he has and could lose.
Last Thursday, Kollareddy filed a Declaration to the court that said in part:
"If the Court does not issue a temporary stay of its Order granting VTA's Petition for Writ of Assistance, effective April 30, 2025, SVG will suffer immediate, permanent and irreparable harm."
