Sridhar Kollareddy walks between thousands of imported marbled granite slabs, slated to become countertops or gravestones. His business, Silicon Valley Granite, has sold the slabs across the Bay Area for 20 years from his San Jose facility. But now, he’s being forced to vacate the property in less than 72 hours to make way for a yearslong transit project.
The Santa Clara County Superior Court issued a court order Monday stating Kollareddy must vacate the site at 125 N. 30th St. by Wednesday. The order also ruled inventory left after Wednesday will be deemed “abandoned,” meaning Kollareddy isn’t entitled to compensation for potentially millions of dollars of inventory he can’t move in time.
The order is part of VTA’s right to use eminent domain to take over Kollareddy’s site for the second phase of its BART expansion. Eminent domain gives government entities the authority to force owners to sell properties when needed for public projects. The project will connect BART services to Silicon Valley, an expansion decades in the making with ballooning budget costs.
@sanjosespotlight Sridhar Kollareddy’s business, Silicon Valley Granite, has sold the slabs across the Bay Area for 20 years from his San Jose facility. But now, he’s being forced to vacate the property in less than 72 hours to make way for a yearslong transit project. Learn more at SanJoseSpotlight.com
Kollareddy’s business is caught in the crosshairs, located where the 28th Street and Little Portugal station is planned. He supports the project and was ready to leave after settling for moving costs and other expenses. He said VTA went back and forth for years on the settlement, and in early April offered to cover moving costs if he was out in three weeks. Kollareddy said he was hit with the court order, without the settlement money, after he requested at least 90 working days to move his inventory.
Kollareddy said he’s been looking for a new site since last year, but has been unable to find one he can afford.
“They want to just throw me out on the street,” Kollareddy told San José Spotlight. “This is all my life savings.”
A VTA spokesperson disputed Kollareddy’s claims, saying the public transit agency informed businesses they may have to move in 2020, and Silicon Valley Granite agreed to move out by March 2024. The spokesperson said VTA extended the moving deadline to this April 30 and Silicon Valley Granite agreed to that date. They added VTA does not discuss settlement negotiations.
“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,” the spokesperson told San José Spotlight.
The order states the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office will evict Kollareddy if he doesn’t comply. Sgt. Russell Davis, spokesperson for the sheriff’s office, said the office hasn’t received notice of a court-ordered eviction yet, but will have to comply with it if it does.
“We remain committed to handling all enforcement actions with professionalism and respect,” he told San José Spotlight.
VTA’s eminent domain legal action, which began in 2021, is displacing numerous downtown San Jose businesses to make way for ventilation systems and an emergency exit from the BART tunnels.
Kollareddy wants to fight the decision — but is unsure how much he can do as a small business owner against a large transit agency. Kollareddy and his lawyer, Glenn Block, plan to file an appeal against the court order this week.
For now, Kolareddy has gathered as much help as possible to move the heavy granite slabs. He said he brought his business to the U.S. from India to share his passion, not earn money, and he’s shocked VTA can do this.
“The little bit I can do, I’m trying to move. I don’t know what to do,” he said. “I never thought this was going to happen in this country.”
Story updated April 30 at 4:16 p.m. Original story published April 30 at 4 p.m.
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
