Green Street picked up the Williamsburg properties for $15.5 million late last year from the Franquinha family, against the apparent objections ofCrest's owner, Joseph Franquinha. Over the decades, the hardware store that was first started by Joseph's father and uncle had evolved with the neighborhood, from a place where handymen and artists living in converted lofts could get paint or new pipes to a destination for luxury-condo buyers looking for ZZ plants.
SAN JOSE A student housing complex could sprout on the site of the former Vung Tau restaurant after a developer paid just under $3 million for the East Santa Clara Street property, according to documents filed on Aug. 25 with the Santa Clara County Recorder's Office. Following its purchase of the former restaurant site at 535 East Santa Clara St. for $2.9 million, Tripalink Real Estate, acting through an affiliate, has proposed a 41-unit student housing development.
